A rare tornado touches down near LA leaving a line of damage

• A rare tornado touched down near Los Angeles.
• The twister left a line of damage in its wake.
• It’s the strongest tornado to hit LA since 1983.

In recent months the state of California has endured a series of storms which have caused significant damage and led to evacuations. There has been heavy snowfall, flooding, gusty winds and now a rare tornado was spotted near downtown Los Angeles.

A video is circulating on social media showing a tornado damaging buildings. It occurred on Wednesday, March 22 in Montebello, near downtown Los Angeles. Immediately, authorities responded to assess the damage.

Rare tornado touches down near downtown Los Angeles

Some internet users shared video of the tornado. Antonio Sabato, Jr. tweeted: “Watch as a extremely rare damaging tornado touches down in Montebello California about 8 miles from downtown Los Angeles as Debris flies in the air the air reports of multiple buildings have been severely damage one person has been injured.”

Other video shows debris from the damage caused by the tornado on Wednesday. Roofs were torn off homes and businesses as it ripped through the area.

Damage from the tornado

According to ABC 7, buildings in the area were evacuated and an urban search and rescue team was dispatched to locate anyone who might be trapped in the rubble. They also indicated that at least one person was injured.

This waterspout that was recorded in Los Angeles is a weaker type of tornado that forms closer to the ground. It struck the 1200 block of South Vail Avenue and at least five buildings had pieces of their roofs torn off or collapsed.

“They are not as unusual as they seem”

This is the second time in less than 24 hours that an apparent tornado has caused damage in the region. The first was recorded Tuesday night in Santa Barbara County, when a small line of electrical storms reached the coast, according to ABC News.

“California tornadoes are not as unusual as they seem. Since 1950, the state has averaged 6 to 7 tornadoes each year,” said weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. “They occur more frequently in the Central Valley or Southern California.”

THERE IS SEVERE DAMAGE

Gas and electric companies flocked to the scene to assess damage to utility lines. One injury was reported and the search of the wreckage continues. Large pieces of metal from a building were thrown into the parking lot, destroying several vehicles.

“This is because the air gets so cold high up that it provides enough instability for thunderstorms. In this configuration, there is a wide ‘spin’ in the atmosphere that these thunderstorms can take advantage of to become tornadoes,” Erdman added.