Rare Tornado Hits Los Angeles Area, Strongest One Since 1983

Rare Tornado Hits Los Angeles Area, Strongest One Since 1983

On March 22, 2023, a rare tornado hit the city of Montebello, located southeast of Los Angeles. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado briefly touched down in an industrial park and warehouse district, causing damage to at least 17 buildings. The tornado was rated an EF-1 with estimated peak winds of 110 mph, making it the strongest tornado to hit the Los Angeles area since 1983.

Tornadoes are rare in California, with fewer than 10 per year on average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Most tornadoes in the state are small and short-lived, commonly referred to as landspouts (similar to a waterspout, but over land). These differ from more traditional tornadoes that form from rotating thunderstorms, like those common in the Central Plains and the Southeast. While landspouts can cause damage, it is generally not extensive or severe.

In addition to the tornado in Montebello, a weak tornado hit a mobile home park in Carpinteria on March 21, 2023. The tornado was rated an EF-0, with winds of 75 mph, and caused damage to 25 mobile home units and minor tree damage to an adjacent cemetery.

The reported injury in Montebello is considered minor, but the tornado damaged at least 17 buildings, with 11 of them deemed too dangerous to use by the fire department. The tornado collapsed one building's roof, snapped a power pole, ejected an HVAC unit from the top of a building, broke skylights, damaged cars, and uprooted a healthy pine tree with a 1-foot wide trunk.

Videos of the Montebello tornado showed a swirling cloud of black debris as the roof of a nearby building was blown off. Vehicles can be seen with damage and shattered windows. Witnesses were surprised by the tornado's strength, with one saying, "This is stuff you see in Ohio, Arkansas... Not Montebello."

The tornado in Montebello comes as California has been plagued in recent months by at least 12 atmospheric rivers that have brought devastating flooding and hurricane-force winds. An atmospheric river is like a fire hose that carries saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, dumping relentless rain or snow.

At least five people died due to the storm in the San Francisco Bay Area as fierce winds lashed cities on March 21, 2023, toppling trees and power lines. The city of San Francisco said its 911 call center had four times its normal call volume during the peak of the storm, which resulted in over 700 fallen trees and limbs and reports of glass and debris falling from high rise towers.

The tornado in Montebello serves as a reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of severe weather events. While tornadoes may be rare in California, it is important for individuals and communities to be prepared for all types of extreme weather, from tornadoes to atmospheric rivers.