METEOROLOGIST

Rare ‘Firenado' Spotted in California as Heat Wave Scorches State

"The big concern is that it's extremely erratic fire behavior," said a meteorologist with the National Weather Service

A firefighter observes a fire tornado from an overpass above the 101 freeway on December 6, 2017 in Ventura, California
Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A rare, fiery tornado was spotted in California on Saturday near the Nevada border where a large wildfire and excessive temperatures created a perfect, but dangerous, storm, NBC News reports.

The fire tornado, or firenado, prompted a tornado warning from the National Weather Service in Reno shortly before 3 p.m. near the Loyalton fire, which started in Sierra County in the Tahoe National Forest.

"The big concern is that it's extremely erratic fire behavior," said John Mittelstadt, a Reno-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"For any of the firefighters who are working on one flank of the fire, all of a sudden, there is no way to predict what the winds are going to do or how strong they are going to be," he added.

The fire near Loyalton that started Saturday had burned more than 2,000 acres by evening.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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