Cell phone cameras captured the latest severe weather event to hit the Los Angeles metro area when a weak tornado touched down in Carson and Compton Thursday morning.
Drea Martinez shared video on social media of rotating clouds and flying debris over Compton when the tornado, which the National Weather Service classified as an EF0, hit the area of 169th and Walnut streets around 8:55 a.m.
The twister caused minor damage to buildings and cars. There were no reports of injuries.
NWS said the degree of damage suggests the tornado had winds around 75 mph. An EF0 twister on the Enhanced Fujita Scale has 65 to 85 mph gusts.
Drea Martinez shared video on social media of rotating clouds and flying debris over Compton when the tornado hit the area of 169th and Walnut streets around 8:55 a.m. May 4, 2023. (Drea Martinez) 
The roof of a business was damaged when a tornado hit Carson on May 4, 2023. (KTLA) 
The roof of a business was damaged when a tornado hit Carson on May 4, 2023. (KTLA)
If you think tornados in metro Los Angeles are rare, that may have been true in the past. But not anymore. This was the third documented tornado of the year in the region.
Another weak tornado toppled trees in La Mirada on Feb. 23.
On March 22, an EF1 tornado with winds of 110 mph touched down in Montebello, causing more extensive property damage. It was the first EF1 to hit the L.A. area since 1998, according to NWS.
The Los Angeles area was also drenched by over two feet of measurable rainfall this past winter and early spring, causing mudslides, landslides and widespread street flooding.
