Reno's National Weather Service issues Fire Tornado warning for Loyalton area
The Loyalton fire has grown to over 2,000 acres and is at 5 percent contained. The tornado warning was issued Saturday afternoon after weather experts determined a fire induced tornado could come about due to the wildfire, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
The rotating clouds and smoke, known as fire whirls, is referred to as a pyrocumulus vortex.
As of 3:15 p.m., Chilcoot is being evacuated along with the south side of Highway 70, according to Plumas News.
The National Weather Service in Reno issued the following:
A large fire has ignited on the eastern edge of the Sierra Valley near Loyalton, CA. This fire will produce dense smoke and haze in the Sierra Valley and haze as far as Reno tonight and early tomorrow.
If you can, avoid travel in the eastern portion of the Sierra Valley to allow responders the room they need to fight the fire. Remember, never fly drones near fires; it grounds all flight operations.
Check below to view a time-lapse of the rotating pyrocumulus vortex as tweeted by Barry Winston:
#loyaltonfire exploding in size. Pyrocumulus vortex TimeLapse @weather_west pic.twitter.com/jM8kc9y9Od
— Barry Winston (@BSWinston) August 15, 2020