(Image Credit: IMAGN) Overhead Door/Wayne Dalton employees James Anderson, left, and Stephen Coman look on as first responders deal with damage caused by the unconfirmed tornado along Copter Road in Ferry Pass on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
Pico Rivera, California – The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Pico Rivera, Los Angeles County, Thursday morning.
Officials announced the confirmation during an 8:30 a.m. news conference, stating that the tornado traveled along a one-mile path with a width of approximately 80 yards. The event occurred around 3:15 a.m.
Residents reported significant damage in the area. Carolina Roberts, a resident of the 9500 block of Glencannon Drive, told reporters of uprooted pine trees that had fallen onto vehicles, downed power lines, and a water main break causing street flooding.
“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,” Roberts said.
The NWS conducted an investigation to determine the cause of the damage. Officials plan to analyze the damage and its path to distinguish between a downburst and a tornado with vortexing. KTLA Meteorologist Henry DiCarlo explained, “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. We don’t get tornadoes too often but all 50 states can get tornadoes.”
The tornado occurred as Southern California continues to experience heavy rain and gusty winds from a powerful winter storm. The storm is bringing approximately one and a half inches of rain to Los Angeles County coasts and valleys, with three to four inches expected in foothill and mountain areas.
