A tornado that descended on Montebello Wednesday morning clocked in at 110 mph, making it the strongest weather event of its kind to impact the Los Angeles metro area in 40 years.
The rare event, which developed rapidly and hit for two to three minutes around 11:20 a.m., was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. It was also .42 miles long and 50 yards wide, according to the National Weather Service.
All that makes it the strongest tornado to hit the region since an EF2 on March 1, 1923.
By comparison, an EF0 tornado is considered weak, with a 65 to 85 mph wind speed, while an EF5 is considered violent at 200 mph wind speed, the weather service broke down.
The last time an EF1 hit the L.A. metropolitan area was in Long Beach on Jan. 9, 1998, NWS officials shared.
Wednesday’s tornado tore through portions of roof tops, sent signs flying, downed trees and damaged several cars.
In all, 17 structures were damaged, 11 significantly, and one person was injured.
In a fact sheet shared Thursday, NWS officials also provided more details about a tornado that hit the Carpinteria area earlier this week.
That twister had a 75 mph wind speed, was .47 miles long and 25 yards wide.
It apparently formed as a waterspout offshore before moving onshore and lasted one to two minutes, the NWS detailed.
In that incident, 25 properties were damaged at Sandpiper Village as well as a nearby tree.
The tornado also destroyed a metal carport, and led to multiple broken windows and metal roofs ripped off. One person was also injured in the Carpinteria incident.
The last time a twister caused injuries in Santa Barbara County was on Dec. 21, 1991, officials said.
There are approximately seven tornados reported in California every year, according to NWS.
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by: Cindy Von Quednow
Updated: Mar 23, 2023 / 05:31 PM PDT