It’s raining!

[sktarq]

Great zigzagging zeuglodons -- it looks like you chaps out there got a tornado in Los Angeles!

It's a mild, small one by Midwestern standards, of course, but it looks like it was enough to take off a roof or two and damage about 5 homes when it struck, according to the news.

That's pretty startling. From what I understood, earthquakes are a hazard in California, but tornadoes are pretty much unknown. I'd imagine dust devils are plentiful in Death Valley, but an honest-to-Pelor tornado must be a super-extraordinary event.

Not really. In my part of the state we get Waterspout in channel (between the mainland and offshore islands). We get a fair number in the central valley. . . Not as bad as tornado alley but are a decent part of the building code. When I worked for an architect I was rather astonished to find that tornado planning regulations were more strict here than nebraska at the time. One in the LA basin is rather odd though-but happens every few years.