NWS sends team to investigate possible tornado in Boyle Heights – NBC Los Angeles

The National Weather Service has dispatched a team to investigate damage in Boyle Heights that might have been caused by a possible tornado on Christmas morning during a week of strong winds and rain from a holiday week storm in Southern California.

In a post on X, the NWS said the storm survey will be conducted Friday afternoon in the community east of downtown Los Angeles. Survey teams look at factors like a damage pattern to determine whether a tornado touched down and its strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, used to assign a tornado rating between 0 and 5 based on estimated wind speeds and damage. An EF rating of 0 indicates wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph. An EF 5 indicates speeds over 200 mph.

NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen said the agency received multiple reports of damage Thursday morning that was likely from a weak and brief tornado. There were no reports of injuries.

On Christmas Eve, a tornado warning was issued for parts of Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley during the height of the multi-day storm. There were no reports of a tornado touching down.

Tornados are rare, but not unheard of during severe weather in Southern California.

In March, a weak tornado with winds estimated at about 85 mph left a path of damage that extended for blocks in a Pico Rivera neighborhood early as a late winter storm brought rain and strong winds to Los Angeles County. The tornado, estimated at EF 0 and lasting for about two minutes, was reported at about 3:15 a.m. near the community southeast of downtown Los Angeles. 

In February, the NWS confirmed that a rare tornado formed in the Ventura County community of Oxnard. The weak tornado caused damage in a mobile home park.

In March 2023, the roof of a Montebello business was ripped off and more than a dozen other buildings were damaged by a tornado in Montebello.

In March 1983, a storm system off the coast of California unleashed a terrifying weather oddity south of downtown Los Angeles. A tornado packing winds between 113 and 157 mph destroyed homes and businesses, flipped cars, hurled debris and ripped part of the roof from the LA Convention Center.