EF0 tornado touches down in Boyle Heights on Christmas Day
National Weather Service officials said that an EF0 tornado touched down in Boyle Heights on Christmas Day.
After a few hours of investigation on Friday, they confirmed that the weather phenomenon had occurred in the morning, lasting three minutes and causing some damage to businesses in the area due to winds that reached 80 miles per hour.
It happened near Lorena Street and Whittier Boulevard at a strip mall at around 10:10 a.m., officials said. The tornado's path occurred at about a third of a mile in length and a width of 30 yards.
In a social media post, the NWS said that they would be sending a team of investigators to "conduct a storm survey" to investigate the damage associated with a "possible weak tornado" that happened early Thursday.
"Why? We had a very strong atmospheric river that was constantly bringing more and more energy, pulling some of it over a broader area," said Dr. Ariel Cohen, a head meteorologist with the NWS.
Video shows strong winds whipping through the area, pulling the signage from outside of a Boost Mobile store down and blowing the sign of a smoke shop into the windows of a Mexican food restaurant, which then shattered.
Resources were promptly made available to residents and business owners affected by the tornado.
"Many families woke up on Christmas Day to damage in their neighborhoods caused by an unusual and powerful storm," said a statement shared by LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. "Since that time, the National Weather Service has determined that a weak tornado briefly touched down in Boyle Heights, bringing intense winds that damaged roofs, windows, and property in our community."
Those impacted were urged to contact Jurado's office or 311 for assistance with resources and services.
Mayor Bass also visited the spot of the incident, saying it was important for her to review the best way to help businesses, especially in the wake of a weather event that isn't typical for the area.
"We are going to do whatever we need to do to marshal those resources," Bass said.
The twister is one of just several to have occurred in the Los Angeles area over the last few years.
Most recently, an EF0 tornado touched down in the Pico Rivera neighborhood in March 2025. A few weeks earlier, a tornado caused damage at a Ventura County mobile home park.
Weather investigators use a system called the Enhanced Fujita Scale to determine a tornado's rating. The number, which ranges from EF0 to EF5, is categorized based on the estimated wind speeds during the incident and the resulting damage.
EF0 tornadoes see winds between 65 and 85 miles per hour, while EF5 tornadoes see winds reach speeds over 200 miles per hour.
