Tornado touches down in Northern California, no damage reported, officials say

A tornado briefly touched down in Northern California Sunday afternoon as high winds and thunderstorms continued, officials said.

The National Weather Service said the tornado happened at about 2:05 p.m. in an unpopulated area of Tehama County, located about four miles southeast of Vina. Weather officials said this area is rural grassland.

The preliminary determination is that it was an EF-U tornado that touched down for about one minute. Officials say wind gusts, path width and length are unknown. 

Officials added that there has not been any damage or injuries reported. Based on video the NWS viewed, it says no structures were impacted and that a damage survey team will not be sent to the area. 

This all plays into the EF-U rating, which is when the tornado has an unknown strength. Since there is no damage to survey, officials would not be able to assign a rating, officials said. If there is damage reported, officials will further evaluate the tornado. 

Radar aligned with the NWS video, which indicated a storm cell with rotation. 

A Tornado Warning was issued around the time the tornado touched down. Earlier this week, down in the San Joaquin County area, a Tornado Warning was issued, but there were no reports of a tornado. 

California averages about nine tornadoes a year, but they usually are rated EF-U to EF-1 and happen in the Central Valley.