In a rare turn of events, a town southeast of Los Angeles was hit by a tornado on Wednesday, marking the latest extreme weather the region has fielded in recent months.
Tornadoes aren’t unheard of in California, but they are less common compared to other parts of the country, with fewer than 10 typically observed in the state per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Wednesday’s tornado — which affected the town of Montebello and damaged 17 buildings — was also especially strong, and is the most severe to affect the region in 40 years, per the National Weather Service.
The tornado followed another weaker tornado, which touched down Tuesday in Carpinteria, a town northwest of Los Angeles, and months of other extreme weather in the state.
As Vox’s Benji Jones reported, California has experienced what’s known as “weather whiplash” throughout this year, as it’s endured days of intense rain and flooding after dealing with a severe drought. That rain was the product of a phenomenon called “atmospheric rivers,” what Jones describes as “narrow corridors of water in the sky,” which appear to be happening more frequently this year and causing severe damage.
There’s likely a connection between the storms that California has experienced and this week’s tornadoes. The atmospheric rivers and the rain they brought probably helped lead to increased moisture in the air, which enabled the recent tornadoes to form in the region, says Perry Samson, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Michigan. “You’ve got the conditions for instability set up by these atmospheric rivers,” Samson told Vox.
The increased intensity of atmospheric rivers may also have links to climate change, many climate experts say. It’s too early to draw conclusions about the relationship between climate change and the tornadoes, however. “You can’t tie it to climate change, because it’s a one-off thing,” says…
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