Tornadoes · United States · California

Tornadoes in Los Angeles County, California

49 tornadoes have crossed Los Angeles County since 1950, 1st of the 48 counties in California with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 46. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
49
Deaths
0
Injuries
46
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, March 1, 1983

The strongest

  1. F2, Los Angeles County, CaliforniaNovember 7, 1966F2, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  2. F2, Los Angeles County, CaliforniaNovember 9, 1982F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  3. F2, Los Angeles County, CaliforniaMarch 1, 1983F2, 3.5 mi (6 km)
  4. F2, Los Angeles County, CaliforniaNovember 9, 1982F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Los Angeles County, CaliforniaNovember 7, 1966F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Los Angeles County. Each year links to every tornado in California that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
202341EF1
20211EF0
20141EF0
20071EF0
20051F0
20043F0
20011F0
20002F0
19991F0
199811F1
19971F0
19951F0
19941F0
19931F0
19921F1
19911F0
19901F0
19871F0
19841F0
1983433F2
19825F2
19801F0
19791F1
19782F0
19771F1
19671F0
1966210F2
19641F1
19622F1
195611F0
19551F1
19521F0

Every tornado that crossed Los Angeles County

49 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 13, 20253:15 AM PDTEF0Los Angeles1.080
May 4, 20238:56 AM PDTEF0Los Angeles0.715
May 4, 20238:45 AM PDTEF0Los Angeles0.115
March 22, 202311:14 AM PDTEF1Los Angeles0.5501
February 23, 202311:30 AM PSTEF0Los Angeles0.115
September 9, 20214:58 PM PDTEF0Los Angeles1.89
December 12, 20149:20 AM PSTEF0Los Angeles0.710
September 1, 20074:20 PM PDTEF0Los Angeles0.110
August 15, 20056:53 PM PDTF0Los Angeles0.133
December 29, 200412:15 AM PSTF0Los Angeles0.55
December 29, 200412:15 AM PSTF0Los Angeles0.55
December 29, 200410:40 PM PSTF0Los Angeles1.05
December 21, 200112:40 AM PSTF0Los Angeles0.110
August 28, 20002:45 PM PDTF0Los Angeles0.10
February 16, 20004:30 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.510
April 1, 19992:00 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.10
January 9, 19982:00 PM PSTF1Los Angeles1.5301
July 21, 19974:55 PM PDTF0Los Angeles0.110
June 16, 19951:55 PM PDTF0Los Angeles0.110
February 7, 19945:45 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 18, 199311:45 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.750$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 19929:00 PM PSTF1Los Angeles0.220
March 19, 19912:00 AM PSTF0Los Angeles0.550
January 16, 19909:20 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.233
June 5, 19874:15 PM PDTF0Los Angeles0.220$5 million to $50 million
May 30, 198410:15 AM PDTF0Los Angeles0.370under $50
October 1, 198311:35 PM PDTF1Los Angeles0.31003$500 to $5,000
September 30, 19838:00 AM PDTF0Los Angeles0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
March 1, 19838:15 AM PSTF0Los Angeles0.2100$50 to $500
March 1, 19837:40 AM PSTF2Los Angeles3.510030$5 million to $50 million
November 9, 198212:00 PM PSTF2Los Angeles10.01,300$500,000 to $5 million
November 9, 198212:00 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.120$500 to $5,000
November 9, 198211:30 AM PSTF2Los Angeles1.0150$500,000 to $5 million
November 9, 19829:30 AM PSTF1Los Angeles0.220$5,000 to $50,000
March 29, 19829:30 PM PSTF1Los Angeles2.067
January 28, 19801:15 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.410$500 to $5,000
January 31, 197910:45 AM PSTF1Los Angeles0.110$500,000 to $5 million
February 10, 197810:30 PM PSTF0Los Angeles1.010
January 4, 19783:15 PM PSTF0Los Angeles0.110under $50
May 8, 197711:00 AM PDTF1Los Angeles0.1100$500,000 to $5 million
April 18, 19676:00 PM GMT-8F0Los Angeles0.310$500 to $5,000
November 7, 19661:00 PM GMT-8F2Los Angeles0.110$500 to $5,000
November 7, 19661:00 PM GMT-8F2Los Angeles10.35010$50,000 to $500,000
November 9, 19647:00 AM GMT-8F1Los Angeles1.010$500 to $5,000
May 14, 19621:00 PM GMT-7F1Los Angeles0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 19624:00 PM GMT-8F1Los Angeles0.6250$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19569:30 AM GMT-7F0Los Angeles0.1171$5,000 to $50,000
January 18, 195511:01 AM GMT-8F1Los Angeles3.023$500 to $5,000
December 20, 195212:00 PM GMT-8F0Los Angeles0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Los Angeles CountyThe forecast for Los Angeles CountyThe live radar over Los Angeles CountyEvery county in California

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.