What an uneventful week to start as SFist Weatherman. Last week had all the action. We love to make fun of folks that live in hurricane, tornado and blizzard regions (but it's okay because they make fun of our earthquakes, fires and mudslides) but now our mirth is limited to hurricanes and blizzards. If you were living under a rock than I'll repeat that a 100 yard wide single cone tornado pushed its way along 3 miles of South San Francisco from Westborough to Mayfair Village. Damage was limited to the six touchdown points where its 70mph to 110mph winds trashed roofs, fences, windows, ripping up trees and powerlines as it went. One home was evacuated and others suffered significant damages. The cyclone finally dissipated over the vast calmness of the bay.

Turns out that funnel clouds form one to two times a year in the Bay Area, but almost never do they make contact with the land and become the incredibly more dangerous tornado class. An intimidating cloud hazed north Sacramento just last month. On May 4th, 1998 two to three very well documented anti-cyclonic tornados (most cyclones turn counter-clockwise, but these didn't) touched down in Sunnyvale, Los Altos and possibly East Palo Alto. The photo was shot directly beneath the Sunnyvale twister. Later that same year a slew of small twisters touched down all over the Bay Area from Santa Rose to Watsonville. Yet historically there has not been one Bay Area death due to a tornado. Either way we'd prefer a stop at the Toronado any day of the week.

SFist Ted, contributing.