California, 1993

Tornadoes in California, January 17, 1993

January 17, 1993 · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$5.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Orange

When
January 17, 7:30 PM PST
Where
Orange County, Lake Forest
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A tornado ripped through a residential section, tearing shingles from roofs, uprooting trees and scattering debris over a several block area. There was damage to 31 homes.

Tornado, Los Angeles

When
January 17, 11:45 PM PST
Where
Los Angeles County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.75 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
34.198, -118.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A small tornado caused minor damage to fences, powerlines and small trees.

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 1993Every state in 1993This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 1993Warnings in California, January 1993

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: 10316563, 10316843.