Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2026
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Sacramento, CA
NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 2026, 2:05 PM PDT for Butte County, Tehama County, California. It was in force for 25 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 12, 2026, 2:05 PM PDT (21:05 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 12, 2026, 2:30 PM PDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Sacramento, CA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Radar indicated
- Hail
- 1.0 in
Counties Butte County, CA, Tehama County, CA
The radar
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:07 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2:05 PM PDT | TORNADO | 4 Se Vina, CA | At 2:05 PM, video and radar evidence confirmed that there was a brief touchdown of a tornado near Vina, CA. No damage was reported. The peak wind gusts, path width and path length are all unknown. Therefore, it is an EF-U tornado with no damage survey. |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
The nearest sounding before it
Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 245 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 375 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 663 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 17 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 69 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
808
WFUS56 KSTO 122105
TORSTO
CAC007-103-122130-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0002.260412T2105Z-260412T2130Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
205 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026
The National Weather Service in Sacramento has issued a
* Tornado Warning for...
Southeastern Tehama County in northern California...
Northwestern Butte County in northern California...
* Until 230 PM PDT.
* At 204 PM PDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Vina, or 9 miles east of Corning, moving north at
15 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.
Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree
damage is likely.
* This dangerous storm will be near...
Vina around 210 PM PDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.
&&
LAT...LON 3987 12196 3990 12209 4003 12205 3997 12187
TIME...MOT...LOC 2104Z 197DEG 13KT 3990 12200
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
$$
Spender2 follow-up statements
561
WWUS56 KSTO 122116
SVSSTO
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
216 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026
CAC007-122124-
/O.CAN.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260412T2130Z/
Butte CA-
216 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN BUTTE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out
of the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.
LAT...LON 3989 12195 3991 12207 4003 12205 3997 12187
TIME...MOT...LOC 2114Z 197DEG 13KT 3992 12199
$$
CAC103-122130-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260412T2130Z/
Tehama CA-
216 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 230 PM PDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN TEHAMA COUNTY...
At 214 PM PDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Vina, or 10 miles east of Corning, moving north at
15 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.
This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
southeastern Tehama County.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.
&&
LAT...LON 3989 12195 3991 12207 4003 12205 3997 12187
TIME...MOT...LOC 2114Z 197DEG 13KT 3992 12199
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
$$
Spender445 WWUS56 KSTO 122127 SVSSTO Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service Sacramento CA 227 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026 CAC103-122133- /O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260412T2130Z/ Tehama CA- 227 PM PDT Sun Apr 12 2026 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN TEHAMA COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 230 PM PDT... The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. LAT...LON 3989 12195 3991 12207 4003 12205 3997 12187 TIME...MOT...LOC 2123Z 197DEG 13KT 3994 12198 $$ Spender
The office that day
Everything else NWS Sacramento, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 6:44 PM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | STO | Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento and 4 more | 5 hr |
| Apr 12, 1:43 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | STO | Butte, Glenn, Tehama | 32 min |
| Apr 12, 3:06 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | STO | Butte | 24 min |
| Apr 12, 4:41 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | STO | Tehama | 34 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in California, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.