The National Weather Service has dispatched a team to investigate damage in Boyle Heights that might have been caused by a possible tornado on Christmas morning during a week of strong winds and rain from a holiday week storm in Southern California.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, the NWS said the storm survey<\/a> will be conducted Friday afternoon in the community east of downtown Los Angeles. Survey teams look at factors like a damage pattern to determine whether a tornado touched down and its strength on the\u00a0Enhanced Fujita Scale<\/a>, used to assign a tornado rating between 0 and 5 based on estimated wind speeds and damage. An EF rating of 0 indicates wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph. An EF 5 indicates speeds over 200 mph.<\/p>\n NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen said the agency received multiple reports of damage Thursday morning that was likely from a weak and brief tornado. There were no reports of injuries. <\/p>\n On Christmas Eve<\/a>, a tornado warning<\/a> was issued for parts of Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley during the height of the multi-day storm. There were no reports of a tornado touching down. <\/p>\n Tornados are rare, but not unheard of during severe weather in Southern California.<\/p>\n In March, a weak tornado with winds estimated at about 85 mph left a path of damage that extended for blocks in a Pico Rivera<\/a> neighborhood early as a late winter storm brought rain and strong winds to Los Angeles County. The tornado,\u00a0estimated at EF 0<\/a>\u00a0and lasting for about two minutes, was reported at about 3:15 a.m. near the community southeast of downtown Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a0February<\/a>, the NWS confirmed that a rare tornado formed in the Ventura County community of Oxnard. The weak tornado caused damage in a mobile home park.<\/p>\n