There is no active, statewide tornado warning in California right now, but parts of the state are seeing very intense storms and localized short‑term warnings.

Current situation

  • A powerful atmospheric river storm is hitting California around Christmas, bringing flooding rain, strong winds, thunderstorms, and mountain snow.
  • Within this larger storm, the National Weather Service has been issuing brief, localized tornado warnings for specific small areas when radar shows rotation in severe thunderstorms.
  • These warnings typically last under an hour and are confined to parts of one or a few counties, not the whole state.

Recent tornado warnings in California

  • Los Angeles County: A tornado alert was issued for a small, densely populated part of east‑central L.A. County, including cities such as Pasadena, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, El Monte, and Temple City, with the alert in effect only until early afternoon.
  • Bay Area: Live local coverage reported a Tornado Warning for southeastern San Mateo County during the current storm, again limited in both geography and time.
  • Other cells: Strong thunderstorms in Northern and Southern California are capable of weak tornadoes or brief spin‑ups embedded in heavy rain bands.

What this means for you

  • There is no single, ongoing “tornado warning in California”; warnings are issued for very specific polygons, often only parts of a county, and they expire quickly.
  • Because warnings are hyper‑local and time‑sensitive, the safest step is to:
    • Check your exact location in a trusted weather app or government site (NWS/NOAA)
    • Look under “Warnings” or “Severe Weather” for your city or ZIP code
    • Turn on emergency alerts on your phone so you get push notifications when a warning is issued for your area

If a tornado warning is issued for your area

  • Go to a small, interior room on the lowest floor (bathroom, hallway, closet) away from windows; a basement is best if available.
  • Protect your head and neck with a mattress, helmet, or thick blankets.
  • Avoid vehicles and mobile homes if at all possible; move to a sturdy building or designated shelter.

Quick answer recap

  • Statewide: No broad, continuous tornado warning covering all of California.
  • Local: Short‑lived tornado warnings have been issued for specific parts of L.A. County and the Bay Area within a major holiday storm.

Information gathered from public data and news sources and portrayed here.