50
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$61.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Los Angeles County, California: 50 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #372 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Los Angeles County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Los Angeles County is the 1980s, when 12 of the county's 50 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Los Angeles County archive, tornado makes up 9.7% of all recorded severe weather across 16 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #1 within California, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jan is the peak month for tornado in Los Angeles County with 8 recorded events, while Jul is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-03-01 | EF2 | 3.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-11-09 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-11-09 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 1,300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-11-07 | EF2 | 10.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-11-07 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-22 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-09 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-03-20 | EF1 | 0.2 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-10-01 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-29 | EF1 | 2.0 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1983 | F2 | 0 | 30 | $25.0M | |
| Nov 7, 1966 | F2 | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Oct 1, 1983 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| Mar 22, 2023 | EAST LOS ANGELES | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 9, 1998 | LONG BEACH | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 9, 1956 | F0 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2025 | PICO | EF0 | $0 |
| May 4, 2023 | COMPTON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 4, 2023 | COMPTON MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2023 | EAST LOS ANGELES | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 23, 2023 | CERRITOS | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2021 | LLANO | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 12, 2014 | VIEW PARK | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2007 | (WJF)WM FOX FLD LANC | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2005 | (PMD)PALMDALE ARPT | F0 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 2004 | WHITTIER | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Los Angeles County
- Flash Flood 220
- Thunderstorm Wind 105
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A cold and unstable airmass generated heavy showers and thunderstorms across Central and Southern California. Numerous reports of heavy showers and small hail were received from the area. In Covina, a weak tornado developed, damaging four mobile homes. Fortunately, no one was injured. With the heavy showers, street flooding was reported in Monrovia.
A weak tornado developed in the communities of Carson and Compton. The short-lived, EF-0, tornado impacted the area near the intersection of Avalon Boulevard and East Walnut Street. Minor damage was reported to a couple of buildings and vehicles.
A second weak tornado impacted the community of Compton. The short-lived, EF-0, tornado developed near the intersection of Greenleaf Boulevard and South Santa Fe Avenue and moved to the intersection of Orcutt Avenue and East 69th Street. One power line was downed as well as several tree branches. Additionally, minor roof damage was reported to a couple of homes.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Los Angeles County, California?
50 tornado events are recorded in Los Angeles County between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Los Angeles County?
The strongest tornado on record in Los Angeles County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Los Angeles County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Los Angeles County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/los-angeles-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.