EF0 Tornado — Riverside, California

2010-01-21 · near Ripley, Riverside, California

Event narrative

Motorists reported a tornado crossing Interstate 10 near Intake Blvd, where two semi trucks were blown over. Numerous power poles down, and considerable damage to homes and other structures in and around Blythe. Roofs were blown off some homes. The rain-wrapped tornado had peak wind gusts estimated at 80 mph as it moved toward the northeast. Nearby Blythe airport recorded a peak gust of 55 mph, with thunderstorms in the area. To put this storm in perspective, record low pressure was observed at Blythe, 29.02 inches.

Wider weather episode

The heaviest rainfall and strongest winds of the week hit the deserts on Thursday...with brief torrential rains that left streets flooded and water in the streams and rivers. At Imperial over two inches of rain fell between the 18th and the 22nd, with 1.10 inches on the 21st. Winds resulted in damage to many areas...and record low barometric pressure.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.5105, -114.7453)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 208489. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.