The San Francisco Bay Area Tornadoes – January 11, 1951

During the morning hours of January 11, 1951, a squall line pushed across the San Franciso Bay area. The storms produced millions of dollars in damage as straight-line winds and tornadoes ripped through the region. Per the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) databases, one twister occurred on this day, an F2 in Sunnyvale. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes lists two tornadoes, the Sunnyvale F2, as well as an F2 at San Jose. Upon doing research, we were able to definitively confirm two additional tornadoes, one that moved through parts of Marin and Sonoma counties and a weak one in Contra Cosa County. It is likely that other funnels occurred, though reports in the newspapers were not detailed enough to confirm others.

April 26

On This Day: April 26! An F4 tornado destroys 80% of the buildings at Bellevue, TX in 1906, the Plains Outbreak occurred in 1991, and Carol Burnett is born! Get your daily dose of history!

April 4

On This Day: April 4! An EF2 tornado hits near Hopkinsville, KY in 2011, a long-track twister moves through Central FL in 1966 and Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated! Get your daily dose of history!

April 3

On This Day: April 3! An F2 tornado in Denton and Dallas Counties in TX in 1924, an EF3 at Forney, TX in 2012 and an avalanche kills 43 people near Chilkoot Pass, Alaska in 1898! Get your daily dose of history!

Fulks Run-Basye, VA EF2 Tornado- April 28, 2011

During the early morning hours of April 28, 2011, five tornadoes ripped across the Shenandoah Valley. This summary looks at the strongest, an EF2, that snaked along a 37.6 mile path across Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties. It caused heavy damage near Basye and injured two people. Check out this premium summary by becoming a member!

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