The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Los Angeles County Thursday morning.
“This is a confirmed tornado that moved through the Pico Rivera area,” a weather official said during an 8:30 a.m. news conference. The tornado left a one-mile path with a width of about 80 yards, the official said.
A resident on the 9500 block of Glencannon Drive in Pico Rivera first contacted KTLA about the tornado around 3:15 a.m.
“There are big pine trees that have been uprooted and landed on cars. There is downed power lines and a water main break and flooding the street,” viewer Carolina Roberts said.
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Damage is seen in Pico Rivera on March 13, 2025. (KTLA) -
Sky5 over damage in Pico Rivera on March 13, 2025. (KTLA) -
A viewer image shows damage from a possible tornado in Pico Rivera on March 13, 2025. -
A viewer image shows damage from a possible tornado in Pico Rivera on March 13, 2025. -
A viewer image shows damage from a possible tornado in Pico Rivera on March 13, 2025.
The reports prompted the a NWS investigation. “We are hearing reports of a possible tornado around 315 am this morning near Pico Rivera. @NWSLosAngeles will be sending a storm survey team later this morning to survey the damage that took place,” the agency posted on X.
KTLA Meteorologist Henry DiCarlo talked about some of the things that weather officials were looking for.
“It’s going to be a few hours … They’ll look at the damage and they’ll look at the path of the damage and then they can determine whether it was just a downburst or if it was a tornado that had vortexing,” Henry said. “We don’t get tornadoes too often but all 50 states can get tornadoes.”
The investigation came as Southern California was pounded with heavy rain and gusty winds Thursday morning.
The powerful winter storm is expected to bring about an inch and a half of rain to the Los Angeles County coasts and valleys by the time the front moves out later Thursday morning. Three to four inches could fall in the foothill and mountain areas.
