Tornado Strikes Los Angeles County Neighborhood During Winter Storm

A tornado touched down in a Los Angeles County neighborhood early Thursday morning, a rare event in Southern California.

With 85 mph winds, the Oxnard tornado knocked down trees and damaged homes and cars in Pico Rivera at around 3:15 a.m. There were no casualties and the EF0 tornado lasted only about two minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

“This was a small, weak, and brief tornado, which uprooted a few trees, downed numerous large tree branches, and damaged roofs. In some cases, trees fell on residences and vehicles causing additional damage,” the NWS said in a report.

The Oxnard tornado, which had a path 1 mile in length and 80 yards across, appeared as a powerful storm made its way across Southern California.

Tornadoes are classified into 6 categories on the Enhanced Fujita Scale: EF0 (65 to 85 mph), EF1 (86 to 110 mph), EF2 (111 to 135 mph), EF3 (136 to 165 mph), EF4 (166 to 200 mph) and EF5 (greater than 200 mph). The Oxnard tornado was at the high end of the EF0 category at 85 mph.

Tornadoes are not commonplace in California, but they are not unheard of. The most recent in Los Angeles County happened in March 2023.

An EF1 level tornado touched down in Montebello for two to three minutes and had a path about 50 yards wide and about 0.42 miles long, making it the strongest tornado to hit the region in 40 years. One person was injured.

The day prior to the Montebello tornado, a smaller one hit Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County. One person was also injured.

“The L.A. basin area tends to be a magnet for tornadoes for this time of year,” Ryan Kittell, who is a meteorologist with the NWS Los Angeles office, said, according to The New York Times. “I’d say March is a favorable month for them in this area.”

Aside from the tornado, this week’s winter storm brought heavy snow to the San Bernardino Mountains and strong gusts of wind and rainfalls. It also caused flooding in areas like Santa Barbara County and Orange County.

Last month, a storm also threatened the region after an onslaught of wildfires in January that forced many residents out of their homes. Scorched areas are at an increased risk for mudslides and debris flow.

“Fire-impacted communities need to be on alert,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said on Wednesday. “The risk of mudflow and landslides is real. Play it safe and be prepared.”

Californians are not out of the woods just yet, NWS warns.

“We are still looking at the potential for showers and storms to be capable of producing strong gusty winds, small hail and even at times they couldn’t rule out a couple of funnel clouds and maybe even another small, brief, weak tornado,” NWS Meteorologist Dr. Ariel Cohen said during a Thursday news conference.

NWS said later on Thursday that some storms scattered across the southern California area “are strengthening and could become severe.” This could lead to another tornado, as well as strong winds, rain or hail.

“If the weather looks ominous, or you hear thunder, be safe and GO INDOORS,” NWS warned.

Southern Californians can look forward to dryer and warmer weather after Friday.