2 tornados hit California, causing damage and injury amid flooding

Damage to a building is seen on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Montebello, Calif., after a confirmed tornado.

On Wednesday morning, a tornado damaged local buildings’ roofs, cars and trees in southern California — an area not used to tornados.

The National Weather Service confirmed the weather event was a tornado that touched down in Montebello on Wednesday. It lasted for just three minutes from 11:14 a.m. to 11:17 a.m. local time with winds that reached up to 110 miles per hour — making it one of the strongest the state has experienced.

Viral videos on Twitter have circulated showing the short-lived but damaging tornado, like this thread from user @njtehcherchian.

Tornados are common throughout the state — seven are seen each season on average, reported The Washington Post.

A weak tornado was reported on Tuesday, about two hours northeast of Montebello, in Carpinteria, reported the Los Angeles Times.

But what made the Montebello tornado rare was its location and the fact that it is the strongest since 1983, per NWS. One person was injured and damages included 11 “significantly” damaged structures, uprooted trees and at least one damaged transformer.

This footage of damage shows debris from several buildings nearby shared by LA Times photo staff.

By Wednesday afternoon, 90,000 citizens were cut off from power by the damaged transformer, per The New York Times.

This happened amid major flooding and storm warnings across the state, where at least five people have been killed, per the LA Times.

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