The year 2020 continued to make history as a terrible time as America received its first-ever warning of firenadoes.

“The Reno office of the National Weather Service warned Northern California of a fiery tornado Saturday afternoon that had sprung up near a large, fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra. That’s right: A firenado,” the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday. “It is the first known issuance of a tornado warning for the climate phenomenon since it burst into California’s consciousness during the deadly Carr Fire in 2018.”

Indeed, Washington Post meteorologist Matthew Cappucci confirmed it was a first.
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“For the first time in history, a tornado warning has been issued for a likely fire tornado,” Cappucci reported. “These are not ‘firewhirls.’ This is a rotating smoke plume being ingested into a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that could produce a bonafide fire-induced tornado. Tornadic wind speeds.”

Here are some of the images and videos people were posting online:

image of the fire tornado in Lassen Co., CA today. divine. gorgeous. unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/jr9zj89tTh

— Morgan Fuld (@mjfuld54) August 16, 2020

Fire Tornado today outside Chilcoot and Hallelujah Junction California. This was intense and scary!!!! @TheTXWXchaser @spahn711 @JimCantore @ReedTimmerAccu @jeffpiotrowski #CAwx #LoyaltonFire #firenado #FireSeason2020 pic.twitter.com/vfwrTKK02n

— Tasha Joy (@That1GirlTasha) August 16, 2020

 

Who had #FireTornado on their list of things left that could happen in 2020?!? Well, CA officially had the first Fire Tornado in history today! Like the things that are happening is crazy crazy! #2020 #HeatWave pic.twitter.com/aYCSSe1IZb

— Brad Everett Young (@BradEYoung) August 16, 2020

The “Fire Tornado” #LoyaltonFire is less than 20 miles away.

Here’s some photos my friend took on the road sometime this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/jR076cmVwR

— Gingeroo 🌲 #CA01 😷 #WearAMask (@Destiny22Ginger) August 16, 2020

Another first for 2020: The National Weather Service just issued a tornado warning for a wildfire in California.

A tornado made of fire. https://t.co/lBaGBvIa8p

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 15, 2020