'Weak Tornadoes' Could Hit SoCal Amid Upcoming Storms

LOS ANGELES, CA — Southern California residents may be in for a rare weather event this week as a series of storms makes its way to the region, weather officials said.

The National Weather Service is monitoring for a couple of severe storm systems that could produce "weak tornadoes" on Thursday, NWS Meteorologist James Brotherton confirmed to Patch.

However, residents shouldn't necessarily be alarmed by this.

"In general, SoCal tornadoes are very brief and the precautions are similar to those for a high wind event," John Dumas, NWS science and operations officer, told Patch.

The second and stronger storm, which is expected to reach the area early Wednesday and last through Friday, is expected to bring a 10 to 20% chance of thunderstorms with a "remote risk" of tornadoes, the NWS said during a webinar on Tuesday afternoon.

During that storm, winds could gust between 30 and 50 mph with the strongest winds felt Thursday afternoon into the evening, the NWS said.

The rare weather news just two weeks after a not-so-weak 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, previously described as "weak" by NWS meteorologists, spun between two mobile home parks in the far southeast corner of Oxnard earlier this month, Patch previously reported.

At least a dozen structures were damaged.

READ MORE: Tornado Rips Through SoCal Neighborhood

Some parts of the Southland experienced cloudy skies and drizzle from a weaker weather system earlier in the week, followed by "cool but pleasant" weather across the region.

"This will be changing [Wednesday] as a storm system moves in from the west, followed by a second area of showers Thursday with colder and more unstable air aloft," the NWS said in an afternoon forecast discussion.

The midweek storm system is expected to bring moderate to potentially heavy rain to many parts of the Southland and snow to mountain areas.

Motorists should expect ice-related travel delays in higher elevations, weather experts said. For burned areas like the Palisades and Eaton zones, officials said there was very low risk — about 10 to 20 percent — of debris flow.

While the region is forecast to get a reprieve from the rain most of Friday and Saturday, another storm system is expected to move in Sunday night and last through Tuesday, bringing light to moderate rain.

Then, a stronger system is forecast to arrive next Wednesday and last through Thursday with moderate to potentially heavy rain.

The news comes as Southern California is emerging from the driest start to a normal rainy season in the area's history. Although a handful of atmospheric rivers and small storm systems arrived in February, the region has plunged back into varying degrees of drought.

However, forecasters say there's still hope for significant rain to arrive next month as March is typically one of the wettest months of the year.

READ MORE

• Amid La Nina, SoCal Returns To Drought With Record Dry Weather
• El Niño, La Niña Are Poor Predictors Of CA Rain Forecast, Study Finds