Tornadoes hit Carson and Compton areas, whipping up powerful, damaging winds
Two tornadoes separated by mere miles and minutes touched down Thursday morning in the area of Carson and Compton, whipping up strong winds and causing minor damage, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service confirmed the first tornado early Thursday afternoon, but further analysis released later that evening concluded a second had also struck nearby.
The first brief tornado hit at 8:45 a.m. — registering an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with winds reaching 75 mph, meteorologists said. The tornado left behind a concentrated short path that damaged a building, some vehicles and trees near the intersection of Avalon Boulevard and East Walnut Street, according to the National Weather Service.
An EF0 tornado touched down in the Carson-Compton area Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. (Twitter user @Aldough)
The second tornado, also an EF0, touched down about 10 minutes later roughly 3 miles to the east — spawning 65 mph winds near the intersection of Greenleaf Boulevard and South Santa Fe Avenue, according to an updated advisory from the weather service.
This tornado traveled east toward the intersection of Orcutt Avenue and East 69th Street. Over the course of its four-minute lifespan, it downed a power line, ripped tarps from a nursery and caused minor damage to a home, the National Weather Service said.
Video posted on social media showed debris swirling in the sky beneath an updraft base of thunderstorm clouds.
Aerial footage from KTLA-TV Channel 5 showed some roof damage to buildings in the area.
In March, a tornado ripped through Montebello with recorded winds of 110 mph. The tornado caused major damage to several buildings and toppled multiple trees.
The region averages one to two tornadoes a year, but the twister that hit Montebello this week was the Los Angeles area’s strongest since 1983.
It was the strongest tornado to hit Los Angeles County in 40 years, according to officials.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
