Tornado Strikes Los Angeles Suburb of Montebello

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A supercell thunderstorm moved across the Los Angeles Basin during the late morning. And, just like in the rest of the nation, it produced a tornado. There is at least one injury. That is all we know of at this point.
Via Twitter

Some of the video is amazing.

There is significant damage with partial roofs off several buildings. If I had to guess, based on this EF-1 or borderline EF-2 intensity damage on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. However, a National Weather Service  post-storm survey will make a final determination. 

Close-up of damage. 

The radar reflectivity (conventional radar, the type shown on television) showed a hook echo, which is a tornado signature. The time was 11:17am PDT.

The Doppler wind data showed a clear tornado signature. Time same as above.

There was no tornado warning. 

The headline below is factually incorrect.
KABC-TV
The storm was a tornado. It came from a supercell thunderstorm. 

During El Nino's, it is not uncommon for the Los Angeles Basin to have tornadoes. While the Pacific waters have not quite attained El Nino status, those waters in the equatorial Pacific off South America have been warming rapidly and it be an El Nino soon.

During the strong El Nino of 1983, an F-2 tornado carved a long path through South Los Angeles into the downtown area. It caused 30 injuries, but no fatalities. As far as we know, that was the worst tornado in the history of the Basin as 150 buildings were damaged, some heavily.



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