Tornado touches down in Central California, National Weather Service confirms

Friday, March 1, 2024
MADERA COUNTY, Calif. -- The National Weather Service Hanford confirmed Friday that a tornado did touch down in Madera County.

Our sister station KFSN-TV in Fresno reported viewers saw the tornado touch down at Berenda Elementary School in the Madera Acres area. Video shows the damage it left behind on the campus.
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We're told parents received a text alert to pick up their children, while students were taken to the cafeteria for safety and advised to stay away from windows.

Earlier Friday evening, a Tornado Warning was issued in Madera County, Mariposa County and Merced County. The warning expired after 4:45 p.m. Friday.
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The National Weather Service says a storm survey will be conducted Saturday for the tornado.

The tornado comes amid Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings, which are in effect for the Sierra Nevada this weekend.

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