OXNARD, CA — A tornado ripped through a residential area in Oxnard Thursday afternoon, tearing the roofs off several structures with winds of up to 90 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed Friday.The tornado, described as "weak" by NWS meteorologists, traveled between two mobile home parks in the far southeast corner of Oxnard Thursday afternoon, the service said.At least a dozen structures were damaged at the Ocean-Aire Mobile Home Estates, including awnings and carports, ...
OXNARD, CA — A tornado ripped through a residential area in Oxnard Thursday afternoon, tearing the roofs off several structures with winds of up to 90 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed Friday.
The tornado, described as "weak" by NWS meteorologists, traveled between two mobile home parks in the far southeast corner of Oxnard Thursday afternoon, the service said.
At least a dozen structures were damaged at the Ocean-Aire Mobile Home Estates, including awnings and carports, ABC 7 reported. The neighborhood is located about 17 miles up Pacific Coast Highway from Leo Carillo State Beach in Malibu.
The tornado hit at around 3:30 p.m., around the same time Southern California was in the peak of an already destructive atmospheric river storm. The storm brought mudslides and flooding across the region.
The National Weather Service initially described the incident as an "extreme wind event" Thursday. But after sending a team to the area Friday morning, they were able to confirm it was, in fact, a tornado.
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The damage was "consistent with a tornado having wind speeds somewhere between 75 and 90 miles per hour," NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen told ABC7 in an interview at the scene.
The fact that roofs were ripped off buildings was one clue that it was a tornado, as strong winds alone typically don't cause such damage, meteorologist Carol Smith told the Los Angeles Times.
“Sometimes when you have really strong [wind] uplift and there’s strong thunderstorms or a collection of storms, you can get this [wind] rotation,” Smith said, describing how the tornado may have formed.
Those who were there for the tornado described the scene to NBC 4.
"The wind, you could hear it pick up," Geri Villegas said. "All of the sudden I looked to my right, and I see something fly by. It was the awning from the neighbors."
Resident Jim Ross said his house shook.
"It was hard to know what the rumbling was. Of course, it go louder and louder. Sounded like something hit the top of the house," he said.
No injuries were reported. The area lost power Thursday evening, according to the Ventura County Star, which published photos of the aftermath of the tornado.
Tornados may seem unusual in California, but meteorologists say it's not unusual for several to hit the state in any given year.
In 2023, three tornados hit California on the same day. The most powerful one, which damaged 17 buildings, was the strongest twister to hit SoCal in 40 years.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.