Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in California, March 1, 1983

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in California, March 1, 1983
Start: 1983-03-01T00:00
End: 1983-03-01T17:15
Location: California

March 1, 1983 · NWS AT · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 30
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Inyo

When: March 1, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Inyo County
Coordinates: 36.430, -117.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Mono

When: March 1, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Mono County
Coordinates: 37.900, -118.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Inyo

When: March 1, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Inyo County
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Coordinates: 37.370, -118.380

Tornado, Los Angeles

When: March 1, 9:40 AM CST
Where: Los Angeles County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 33.980, -118.370

Tornado, Los Angeles

When: March 1, 10:15 AM CST
Where: Los Angeles County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 34.130, -118.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Los Angeles

When: March 1, 11:40 AM CST
Where: Los Angeles County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 34.230, -118.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: March 1, 1:34 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Coordinates: 33.750, -117.880

Thunderstorm Wind, San Diego

When: March 1, 5:15 PM CST
Where: San Diego County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 32.580, -117.120

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

Every storm in California in 1983 Every state in 1983 This day in weather history The tornado archive for California, 1983

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9992409, 9992410, 9992411, 9992412, 9992413, 9992414, 9992415, 9992416.