The National Weather Service on Saturday issued its first-ever warning for a firenado, “a fire induced tornado,” as wildfires in Northern California, specifically the Loyalton Fire to the east of the Sierra Valley, spread toward Reno, Nevada.

For the first time in history, a tornado warning has been issued for a likely *fire tornado*.

These are not "firewhirls." This is a rotating smoke plume being ingested into a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that could produce a bonafide fire-induced tornado.

Tornadic wind speeds. pic.twitter.com/KwtAMv3qVp
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) August 15, 2020

Wrote meteorologist Matthew Cappucci on Twitter: “These are not ‘firewhirls.’ This is a rotating smoke plume being ingested into a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that could produce a bonafide fire-induced tornado.”

The Sacramento Bee reports: “It is the first known issuance of a tornado warning for the climate phenomenon since it burst into California’s consciousness during the deadly Carr Fire in 2018. Wendell Hohmann, the NWS forecaster who penned the tornado warning said that it was the first time to his knowledge of a tornado warning of this nature.”