When asked where tornadoes are most likely to occur, most people will not answer with a coastal region such as Santa Barbara. However, you may be surprised. Just last week, a tornado touched ground in Ventura Harbor and there was a tornado warning for Santa barbara County. In fact, there were three tornado warnings for Santa Barbara County throughout 2019. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, data shows that before Wednesday’s tornado at Ventura Harbor, there had been at least six documented twisters over land in Ventura County since 1992. According to NOAA data, California sees an average of six tornadoes a year, the most common regions being Central and Southern California. Most southern California tornadoes are small, however and occur as waterspouts over the ocean. Occasionally, these twisters do touch ground and become tornadoes, much like the one seen in ventura, which flipped kayaks and tore down overhead awnings. The Enhanced Fugita Scale or EF scale rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5. Though socal tornadoes usually take a rating of EF0, wind speeds can still exceed up to 75mph. KCSB News Thomas Moran called the National Weather service Los angeles Oxnard station and spoke with Senior Meteorologist Todd Hall about our regions geography and why tornadoes are much more common than we think.
