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Heavy Rain and Flash Flooding Concerns in California; Heavy Snow in the Sierra

An atmospheric river will bring heavy rainfall to lower elevations of California this week, and heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Flash flooding, some of which may be locally considerable, will be a concern on the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains through Tuesday. Landslides, rockfalls and mudslides are possible in the Southern California mountains. Read More >

Overview

Around 1:00 PM CDT, emergency management reported a brief landspout tornado near Mission, SD. This landspout caused damage to one residence, located just west of Mission, SD. Damage to the residence included shingles missing from the roof, branches and small trees damaged, a swing set and carport tossed around, and a trampoline being lifted into some trees.

Landspout tornadoes are typically weak and short-lived, posing a relatively minor threat of property damage. Landspouts can form with developing thunderstorms before rain, hail, and even thunder is observed. Landspout tornadoes are not usually associated with a wall cloud and are often difficult to detect with weather radar.

For more information on landspouts and the differences between "typical" tornadoes (those formed from supercells), see National Severe Storms Laboratory's page.

Landspout image
Photo from Robert Oliver
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