NWS confirms tornado touchdown east of Clovis amid severe storms

A tornado warning east of Clovis forced schools into shelter-in-place Tuesday as severe storms pushed through Fresno County, with the National Weather Service confirming two tornado touchdowns in the Central Valley and warning that more hazardous weather was still moving through the region.

The first tornado was reported around 2:15 p.m. near Biola, about 8 miles west of Fresno. A second tornado warning was issued around 5:17 p.m. for northeast Fresno County toward Auberry, with the warning in effect until 5:45 p.m. Weather officials said the warning area included Old Fig Garden, Biola and Rolling Hills.

Clovis Unified School District placed schools in shelter-in-place during the tornado alert, then lifted the order after the warning ended and resumed normal operations. No major damage had been reported in the immediate aftermath, even as videos circulated showing a funnel cloud over the storm system.

The weather threat did not stop at the valley floor. After moving through Fresno and Madera counties, the storm complex pushed into the mountains, where a winter storm warning remained in effect until Wednesday at 5 p.m. That shift underscored how quickly the system changed character, from spinning tornado-producing cells to mountain snow and colder conditions in the high country.

The National Weather Service says a tornado warning means a hazardous weather event is occurring, imminent or highly likely, and it poses a threat to life or property. That is the kind of alert that typically gives residents only minutes to move to an interior room, stay away from windows and take shelter immediately.

Tuesday’s storms also added rare local context. The National Weather Service Hanford tornado history includes prior Fresno County tornadoes in northwest Fresno, southeast Fresno and near Fresno Air Terminal, with records dating back to 1949. Fresno’s climate records also stretch back to 1878, a reminder that while spring storms are familiar in the San Joaquin Valley, a confirmed tornado still stands out in Clovis and across Fresno County.