L.A.’s Powerful Winter Storm Triggers Evacuation Warnings, Rescues, and a Tornado
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A powerful storm continued to batter Southern California on Thursday morning, prompting evacuation warnings, raising concerns over mudslides, and bringing heavy mountain snow along with a tornado that uprooted trees and damaged homes and vehicles.
Multiple flood and severe thunderstorm warnings remained in effect, along with winter weather advisories in the mountains, as bands of intense precipitation moved through the region. The storm was expected to continue shifting south throughout the day.
Reports emerged of debris flows in burn areas, scattered hail, and intense downpours that led to minor street flooding and road closures from southern Santa Barbara County to Orange County. Early Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a person stranded on a concrete alcove along the rising Los Angeles River in Boyle Heights.
Wind gusts were predicted to exceed 50 mph in some regions. In Pico Rivera, a tornado with wind speeds of up to 85 mph touched down around 3:15 a.m., traveling approximately one mile through a residential area, as reported by the National Weather Service.
Debris scattered across the streets, and several large trees were snapped along Glencannon Drive, a residential street where the tornado also caused damage to vehicles and homes. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The tornado, which was short-lived, was classified at the lowest level on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, a system used by meteorologists to assess wind speeds and damage. According to Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, the tornado was on the higher end of this lowest rating.
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"Although it was brief, it was still damaging," Cohen said.
By Thursday morning, several inches of snow had accumulated in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, prompting school closures in the region. The San Bernardino Fire Department reported multiple power outages.
Major ski resorts saw up to 10 inches of fresh snow, with flakes continuing to fall. Mountain High reported between 10 and 13 inches, while Mt. Wilson received four inches. Gorman, a town along the Grapevine, saw an inch of snow, according to the weather service.
Big Bear Mountain Resort reported more than a foot of snow at its three ski resorts, with Snow Valley topping out at 18 inches.
“It’s safe to say this storm was the biggest snowmaker,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, referring to the systems that have hit Southern California this winter.
Aside from significant delays during the morning commute, forecasters noted that the worst of the storm had cleared Los Angeles County by around 8 a.m. However, residents to the south and east were still advised to stay on high alert.
“The main storm has passed, and now we're in more of a showery pattern for the rest of the day, with occasional showers and possibly some thunderstorms,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “The system has moved into San Bernardino and Orange County.”
In Pico Rivera, residents were abruptly awakened early Thursday by the sound of trees crashing onto cars and homes, as powerful winds from the tornado tossed outdoor furniture around.
Edgar Reynoso’s backyard was left with a collapsed brick wall, but the rest of his home remained largely unscathed by the fierce winds.
"I heard this huge explosion, like a bomb going off. It’s my first tornado,” Reynoso said, gazing at the collapsed wall. “It was pretty scary, living through it for the first time.”
Nearby, Cuba Garcia initially thought someone was hitting the side of his home overnight, but after reviewing his security footage, he realized the strong gusts had flipped a metal canopy from his backyard onto his roof.
As the sun rose, Garcia was already planning how to remove the structure. After the rain subsided, he and some friends planned to climb onto the roof and try to dismantle the canopy, which sat on his home like an upside-down turtle.
"Earthquakes? We can handle those in our daily lives. But a tornado? That’s something completely different,” Garcia said.
Much of the tornado's damage was focused along Glencannon Drive. By mid-morning Thursday, crews were working to clear fallen trees, while residents took in the surprising scene.
The wind outside Carlos Aguilar’s home howled so loudly that it woke up his dog. He heard a loud thump, and when he looked out his window, he saw a 75-foot pine tree had fallen into his front yard, just narrowly missing his front door.
His 2018 Hyundai Elantra wasn’t so lucky. Several hours later, the car was still pinned beneath the tree.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Aguilar said.
In the Santa Ana foothills near Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County, officials closed Trabuco Canyon Road after rain washed rocks, tree limbs, and several inches of mud onto the road. That area remained under an evacuation order.
In San Juan Capistrano, a man had to be rescued by helicopter Thursday morning after his SUV became stuck in fast-moving water and mud in a creek near Trabuco Creek and Rosenbaum roads. The man, uninjured, was clinging to a tree when crews arrived, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. It remains unclear how the vehicle ended up in the creek. Fire officials urged the public to stay clear of moving water during wet weather, warning that “it doesn’t take much water to carry a person or a vehicle downstream.”
Evacuation warnings and orders were issued for Los Angeles communities near the Eaton, Palisades, and Sunset fire burn zones ahead of the rain. Several schools in Malibu also canceled classes Thursday due to road closures and safety concerns, with many neighborhoods under evacuation warnings, the city reported.
In the Palisades burn scar, evacuation warnings were issued for the Getty Villa area, the Highlands, the Bienveneda area near Temescal Canyon Park, Rivas Canyon/Will Rogers State Park, Mandeville Canyon above Tanners Road, Old Ranch Road, and Rustic Creek, starting Wednesday morning.
Areas to the east and south of Runyon Canyon in the Sunset fire zone are now under an evacuation warning. In the Hurst fire zone, an evacuation warning has been issued for Olive Lane in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
These evacuation orders are expected to remain in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday, the LAFD said.
Malibu has also issued evacuation warnings for several areas, including Carbon Canyon, Carbon Beach East, La Costa Beach/La Costa (hillside), Las Flores Creek, Las Flores Mesa, eastern Malibu, Big Rock, Las Tunas Beach, Topanga Beach Road, Carbon Beach Terrace, Rambla Pacifico, Malibu Beach, Sweetwater Canyon, Sweetwater Mesa, Serra Retreat, Malibu Creek, Cross Creek, Malibu Colony, Civic Center, Malibu Knolls, Malibu Road, Malibu Country Estates, Puerco Canyon, and Piuma Road.
In the Eaton fire burn scar, officials are urging residents to prepare for possible evacuations as the storm continues.
The city of Sierra Madre has issued mandatory evacuation orders for homes directly below the Sierra Madre and Lannan debris basins. Evacuation warnings are also in place for other hillside-adjacent neighborhoods, and these orders will remain until 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the city.
Evacuation warnings have also been issued for homes near the San Gabriel foothills in Altadena.
Authorities have been visiting properties in high-risk areas to issue specific evacuation orders ahead of the storm, as reported by the city of Los Angeles.
Rain rates over the Eaton fire burn scar reached up to an inch per hour during the peak of the storm early Thursday. Experts say that when rain falls at rates above half an inch per hour, the risk of mudslides and debris flows off burned hillsides significantly increases.
Despite the intense rain, the area appeared to have avoided serious damage from debris flows, according to meteorologist Kittell. Cameras in the region captured torrents of water, mud, and tree branches flowing from the hills into basins designed to catch such debris during heavy rainfall.
"The heaviest rain has moved out of the LA area,” Mayor Karen Bass wrote Thursday morning on X. “Please stay vigilant — especially in burn areas — as periods of heavy rain will continue throughout the day."
Though more rain is expected, this week’s storms have already delivered a significant amount of moisture to Southern California.
From Tuesday through 5 a.m. Thursday, Beverly Hills recorded 1.25 inches of rain. Downtown Los Angeles received 1.19 inches, Woodland Hills saw 1.66 inches, and the Eagle Rock Reservoir got 1.81 inches, according to the weather service.
Rain totals were even higher in the Los Angeles County mountains, with the Cogswell Dam receiving 3.58 inches and Crystal Lake getting 3.07 inches over the two-day period.
In Orange County, Lower Silverado Canyon received 0.91 inches of rain in a six-hour period ending at 5 a.m. Thursday. Coto De Caza got 0.75 inches, and Corona del Mar received 0.71 inches, according to the weather service.
