California storm: Possible tornado hit state while Los Angeles was under flash flood warnings

The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of waterspouts along the California coast — but what exactly are they?

Waterspouts are, essentially, like tornadoes that happen over a body of water, according to the NWS. There are two types: fair weather and tornadic waterspouts.

Tornadic waterspouts are exactly like tornadoes, except they form over water and sometimes move to land. or move from land to water, the NWS says. Fair weather waterspouts, on the other hand, form in light wind conditions, generally move less and dissipate quickly.

The storm fuelled by the second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers to hit California in days brought over 500 harrowing mudslides in the state.

Some residents are cleaning up fallen trees and debris, while others say their homes are too damaged for them to live in.

Wendy Barron escaped her Hacienda Heights home during Tuesday’s historic downpours in Southern California. Her husband, Jesus Barron, told The Associated Press that he answered his wife’s panicked phone call warning him that a mudslide was smashing into their bedroom.

“She called me and told me the mountain was coming down,” he recalled on Wednesday. “I thought the worst.”

heir home was seriously damaged when mud flowed down the hillside and blasted through the two retaining walls the family built when they moved in seven years ago.

“It’s not enough to stop Mother Nature, of course,” Mr Barron said.

While the couple was able to retrieve some belongings, their house isn’t liveable, they say. Now, they need to decide whether they want to return once it’s repaired.

“We love it here,” Mr Barron said. “However, it wouldn’t be easy to go through this again.”

Community organisers have accused Los Angeles authorities of “bold-faced lies” and said the city’s response to its unhoused population during the recent catastrophic storms has been “abysmal,” The Independent’s Mike Bedigan reports.