LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A late-season storm doused much of the Southland early Thursday and even gave birth to a small tornado that damaged some commercial buildings in Carson.
Citing photo and video evidence, the National Weather Service confirmed that a "brief weak tornado" occurred shortly before 9 a.m. in the Carson-Compton area. The small twister was rated an EF0, which is the weakest level of a tornado.
Forecasters said the tornado is believed to have had winds up to 75 mph, causing a "concentrated short path of minor damage to a couple of buildings, vehicle damage from debris and tree damage."
Video from the scene shoed at least two buildings along Avalon Boulevard with holes in their rooftops, along with a car that appeared to have been struck by flying debris and one tree knocked to the ground.
There were no reports of any injuries.
By mid-morning Thursday, the National Weather Service indicated that the majority of the storm system had already passed through the area, but Los Angeles County "continues to experience widespread shower activity."
"Despite the significant decrease in rain coverage ... shower chances will continue in all areas through the day as the upper low is still overhead and moisture continues to get pulled in off the ocean," according to the NWS. "... Best chances will be in and near the mountains, but all areas will be at risk for additional showers through the day, some of which could be briefly heavy with small hail possible. Isolated thunderstorms are still possible mainly across LA/Ventura counties through (Thursday) afternoon as there is still some instability around."
Much of the rainfall occurred overnight, but scattered showers continued after sunrise and made for a wet morning commute. The NWS even issued a flood advisory overnight that included Los Angeles County, warning of possible small stream and urban flooding.
The chance of showers will linger into Friday for some areas, forecasters said.
A winter weather advisory will be in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, with anticipated snow accompanied by winds of up to 45 mph.
Forecasters said some mountain areas could see 4 to 8 inches of snow at elevations above 6,000 feet, and a chance of accumulations exceeding a foot in some isolated spots before the storm dissipates. Lesser amounts of snow are possible down to 4,000 feet. Forecasters said there was a 30% chance of an inch or more of snow falling over the Grapevine stretch of Interstate 5 in northern Los Angeles County, so motorists should be on alert for possible closures or police escorts.
"Travel could be very difficult to impossible on mountain roadways, such as the Angeles Crest Highway," according to the NWS.
Forecasters said "drier and warmer conditions are expected this weekend into next week."
The tornado that touched down in the Carson-Compton area Thursday is the second to be confirmed in the L.A. area in two months. In March, the NWS confirmed an EF1 twister with winds of 110 mph in Montebello. That tornado tore rooftops from multiple buildings and damaged more than a dozen structures, while also leaving numerous vehicles damaged by flying debris. The twister was believed to be the strongest to occur in the area since 1983.
