Tornado in Temecula @ 9:46am

[furluvcats]

We woke up to a serious storm this am, and I said Brian, I think theres a micro burst out there...very loud roaring...opened the blinds and turned on TWC a few mins later and we had had a tornado right here in Temecula, which is probably what we heard...what woke us up...we are fine...no damage in our neighborhood...haven't left the house to see what damage was done around town...hoping the news will show us so we don't have to go out.

Its big news here, since So Cal doesn't typically have to worry about tornadoes..

Big Bear is getting dumped on with alot of snow...we're heading up early in the morning for the remainder of the Presidents Day holiday...if the roads are open!

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know that we are just fine...unscathed!

[therock1811]

OH MY!!! That's a scary thing to have happen! Glad you're ok!

[Skywatch_NC]

Great to hear that you're okay, Shannon, Brian and kids!!

Eric

[cycloneye]

Great news that you are ok.

[Aslkahuna]

Actually tornadoes occur more frequently in CA than people realize-especially SoCA. My firs tornado experience was with a F2 in NoCA in 1951 that nearly took me out as it was developing. When I talk weather with newbies around here, they always say they are glad that they don't have to worry about tornadoes and earthquakes until I tell them that AZ's tornado fatalities have all occurred in SE AZ and the earthquake of 1887 down here was as bad as anything that has ever hit CA.

Steve

[Lindaloo]

WOW!! Glad you and the family are okay. Thanks for checking in.

[wxcrazy]

Actually tornadoes occur more frequently in CA than people realize-especially SoCA. My firs tornado experience was with a F2 in NoCA in 1951 that nearly took me out as it was developing. When I talk weather with newbies around here, they always say they are glad that they don't have to worry about tornadoes and earthquakes until I tell them that AZ's tornado fatalities have all occurred in SE AZ and the earthquake of 1887 down here was as bad as anything that has ever hit CA.

Steve

Aslkahuna. While I agree with the tornado stuff, the 1906 San Fran quake was bigger than the 1887 AZ quake, and the 1887 AZ quake actually occurred in Northern Sonora, Mexico and was felt in AZ. While AZ does experience significant EQ in time, CA actually is the hotbed for big destructive quakes than AZ would.

[WXBUFFJIM]

Wow Shannon. I'm glad you, Brian, and the kids are fine and dandy. Talk about some scary stuff. The key you're all fine and safe.

[furluvcats]

Yeah, we're totally OK...the noise woke us up and had I even had an inkling of an idea it was a tornado, I would have flipped...luckily we didn't turn on the TV til after the fact (we were sleeping in today) so we didn't know of the danger at the time...whew...haven't seen any damage reports yet...my son was in a different part of Temecula, so I had a moment of fear until I got him on the phone and found out they were all Ok and hadn't even heard that a tornado went through town... so I;m still uncertain of where in Temecula it was...kids have talked to multiple friends today and no one has said anything about it...???

[Rainband]

Glad you and yours are ok Shannon

[Aslkahuna]

It depends upon which source you used for the information about the May 3 1887 Earthquake. I've seen it reported as a MM7.0 and as an 8.0. Based upon the effects, which I shall note shortly, the actual magnitude was probably closer to the latter than former. The epicenter was near Bavispe Sonora some 30 miles south of Douglas at the intersection of the San Bernardino Fault and an unnamed fault that trends NW eventually tracking across the SW face of the Huachuca mountains, the Canelo Hills, which are clearly fault controlled, and into the Santa Rita Mountains. Faulting and ground movement was observed along the entire length of the latter fault and also along the San Bernardino Fault into the San Bernardino Valley of SE AZ. Thus we had a multiple faulting event similar to the Landers shock of 1994 in SE CA. Total length of movement would have the magnitude some where near 7.5 of which only four such events have occurred in CA since 1850. To back this premise up one only needs to look at the San Pedro River which prior to the shock was wide enough to require ferries and deep enough to support commercial fishing. The river crosses the second fault just south of the border where the eastward
flowing river turns abruptly north. After the 1887 shock and withing a very few hours most of the river went underground becoming the small stream it is today though the large Riparian area with it's cottonwood trees shows that there is a lot of underground flow yet today. Such an effect upon a river requires a shock larger than MM7.0. Considering that most damaging CA shocks have been in the 6.5-7.0 range, my statement that the 1887 earthquake was as bad as can occur in CA is correct. I didn't say that CA is not a hotbed of seismic activity but was pointing out that we do get them here from time to time. The 1857 and 1906 CA shocks remain the largest in the western US (excluding AK) though I suspect that 1887 was not far behind-fortunately, AZ was very sparsely settled at the time.



Steve

[wxcrazy]

It depends upon which source you used for the information about the May 3 1887 Earthquake. I've seen it reported as a MM7.0 and as an 8.0. Based upon the effects, which I shall note shortly, the actual magnitude was probably closer to the latter than former. The epicenter was near Bavispe Sonora some 30 miles south of Douglas at the intersection of the San Bernardino Fault and an unnamed fault that trends NW eventually tracking across the SW face of the Huachuca mountains, the Canelo Hills, which are clearly fault controlled, and into the Santa Rita Mountains. Faulting and ground movement was observed along the entire length of the latter fault and also along the San Bernardino Fault into the San Bernardino Valley of SE AZ. Thus we had a multiple faulting event similar to the Landers shock of 1994 in SE CA. Total length of movement would have the magnitude some where near 7.5 of which only four such events have occurred in CA since 1850. To back this premise up one only needs to look at the San Pedro River which prior to the shock was wide enough to require ferries and deep enough to support commercial fishing. The river crosses the second fault just south of the border where the eastward
flowing river turns abruptly north. After the 1887 shock and withing a very few hours most of the river went underground becoming the small stream it is today though the large Riparian area with it's cottonwood trees shows that there is a lot of underground flow yet today. Such an effect upon a river requires a shock larger than MM7.0. Considering that most damaging CA shocks have been in the 6.5-7.0 range, my statement that the 1887 earthquake was as bad as can occur in CA is correct. I didn't say that CA is not a hotbed of seismic activity but was pointing out that we do get them here from time to time. The 1857 and 1906 CA shocks remain the largest in the western US (excluding AK) though I suspect that 1887 was not far behind-fortunately, AZ was very sparsely settled at the time.



Steve

You are correcto mundo. AZ quakes when they occur are much harsher than the 6-7 EQ that CA has. However, it is fair to note that the 7.2 (I believe) hector miner quake, if it had occurred several hundred miles to the northwest would have caused extensive damage, but it did not and it occurred in the desert. I felt that one and it hit my city at about 6 +. Anyway nice post as always....

[TexasStooge]

Glad you guys are OK.

[breeze]

Furry, I saw that on TWC, this morning, and, thought of
you, immediately! WoW! Glad you and your's are all ok!

[furluvcats]

Thanks breeze...so far so good with these storms...we were up in the mountains this weekend and got to enjoy the snow from the systems, but we saw alot of slides on the way up and down the mountain...its really chaotic down here off the mountain...I misstated last yr when I complained that So Cal doesn't get weather...