Pictures: Tornadoes Leave Trails of Damage in Carpinteria, Montebello
The first tornado struck the Santa Barbara County community of Carpinteria Tuesday night, while the second hit Montebello in Los Angeles County Wednesday morning
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Cellphone video captured the moment a teacher was sucked out of her classroom and knocked to the ground during a tornado in Montebello. Mekahlo Medina reports March 22, 2023.
“At any place, in particular California, a tornado is very highly unusual. However, if we look over a broader area of Southern California or California in general, we do tend to see a number of tornadoes occur, really, each year, especially in the winter and early springtime, when strong Pacific storm systems move onshore and create favorable conditions,” said Ariel Cohen, meteorologist in charge at NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard.
In Carpinteria, the twister reached estimated peak wind speeds of 75 mph and damaged around 25 mobile homes. The Montebello tornado damaged 17 buildings and left one person with minor injuries; it packed winds of 86 mph to 110 mph, considered an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, when it touched down at at about 11:20 a.m. in an industrial area with several warehouses.
Below are images of the damage.
Tornado damage at a mobile home park in Carpinteria.A waterspout forms in Carpinteria.An aerial view of roof damage after a rare confirmed tornado touched down and ripped up building roofs in a Los Angeles suburb on March 22, 2023 in Montebello, California. Another Pacific storm has been pounding California with heavy rain, high winds, and snow in higher elevations. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)The interior of a Niky's Sports store in Montebello after damage from a tornado.A teacher is knocked to the ground during a tornado in Montebello.Debris floats in the air during a tornado in Montebello.: An aerial view shows roof damage after a rare tornado touched down in a Los Angeles suburb on March 22, 2023 in Montebello, California. Another Pacific storm has been pounding California with heavy rain, high winds, and snow. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)Workers remove broken glass from a window at NASA Services building that was broken by flying debris during a tornado in Montebello on Wednesday March 22, 2023. An employee who was inside the the Royal Paper Box Company when the roof was torn off during a tornado in Montebello on Wednesday March 22, 2023. Crews start to clean up debris after a tornado in Montebello Wednesday March 22, 2023.Cleanup crews remove debris lodged underneath a van that had its windows blown-out from flying debris and other damage following a tornado Wednesday, March 22, 2023 in Montebello.A large portion of the roof the Royal Paper Box Company is gone after a tornado Wednesday, March 22, 2023 in Montebello.A pickup bed liner is lodged into a tree outside the Royal Paper Box Company after a tornado Wednesday, March 22, 2023 in Montebello.Barrels at the Apex Container Service facility after a rare tornado touched down in Montebello, California, US, on Thursday, March 23, 2023.Barrels at the Apex Container Service facility and damage to a recycling company's building after a rare tornado touched down in Montebello, California, US, on Thursday, March 23, 2023.
