NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

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Update by the edhat staff
2:45 p.m., March 22, 2023

The National Weather Service (NWS) released a report from its damage survey team after assessing the weather event in Carpinteria on Tuesday.

NWS is calling the incident a tornado and have given it an EF0 rating with winds estimated up to 75 mph.

"A weak, narrow tornado briefly touched down in the Sandpiper Village mobile home park in Carpinteria [at 5:45 p.m.] Tuesday, March 21, 2023. It damaged around 25 mobile home units and there was minor tree damage to the cemetery adjacent to the mobile home park," the NWS report states.

The report also included one injury, although the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District stated there were no injuries.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) classifies tornadoes by wind speed from level 0 to level 5. NWS considers EF0 a weak tornado with wind speeds from 65 to 85 mph whereas the EF5 level is considered "violent" with speeds over 200 mph. 

The NWS damage survey assessment team will next survey the area in Montebello where a weak tornado potentially touched down Wednesday morning.


By Amy Katz
March 22, 2023

Last night around 6:00 pm, gail force winds swept up from the Pacific ocean, and flew over the free way to the Sandpiper Mobile Home Park, on Foothill, forming a Tornado.

The erratic whirlwind destroyed dozens of roofs and carports, and even blew the debris into the Carpinteria Cemetery, where large chunks of plastic are still dangling from the massive oak trees. Neighbors are checking in on each orher and helping stack up the debris.

There was one reported head injury.

Most of the grave stones were untouched, and only some plants uprooted: the tornado seemed to stay several feet off the ground. 


Photo by Amy Katz


Photo by Amy Katz


Photo by Amy Katz


By the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department
March 21, 2023

At 6:01PM [Tuesday] Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District responded to a weather event at Sandpiper Mobile Home Park.

Upon arrival, Firefighters found residents helping one another. Firefighters assessed the situation and discovered multiple carports and awning damaged by the wind.

26 residences were determined to have been damaged, that number may increase after additional inspections during the day. There was additional damage to the properties adjacent the Park.

There were no injuries reported. The Fire District encourages residents to stay informed by monitoring local weather reports.

For additional information contact Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Marshal Mike LoMonaco 805-698-0816.


Photo by the CSFPD


Photo by the CSFPD


Photo by the CSFPD

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16 Comments

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SBZZ Mar 22, 2023 02:24 PM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

That twitter video says it all - definitely a tornadic type wind - the circulation of that debris is classic. Hard to tell how much of the cloud base extends towards the ground which is needed to call it either a funnel cloud or tornado, but clearly it was the equivalent of at least a huge dust devil (sans the dust).

Andrea Smith Mar 22, 2023 06:43 AM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

We live near San Roque/Upper State and right around 5:30 p.m. there was a huge burst with lots of hail, it went on for about 5 minutes or so then lightning and thunder, just one clap. So I bet it was that cell that caused this! Hail all over my patio enough to make it slippery

a-1679473291 Mar 22, 2023 01:21 AM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

Real-time video of the Carp wind! I found it on NWS LA twitter page, not on KEYT.
https://twitter.com/RyderChristNews/status/1638414128669917184?cxt=HHwWgIDQ5YS-6LwtAAAA

a-1679472461 Mar 22, 2023 01:07 AM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

The downpour in San Roque at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday was intense. I haven't seen it rain that hard in years. Of course it was a few (ten) minutes after thunder had rattled my windows -- active cell overhead.
Another intense downpour around 9:15.
I'll bet John Wiley felt both of them.

a-1679471015 Mar 22, 2023 12:43 AM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

More pics, Debris in the air:
https://keyt.com/news/2023/03/21/weather-event-blows-through-carpinteria/

Palminteri pics:
https://twitter.com/JohnPalminteri/status/1638367019904155648?cxt=HHwWgIDSkfmH07wtAAAA

NWS put out a tornado warning in Ventura:
https://twitter.com/NWSLosAngeles/status/1638379703311687680

Meteorologists will determine if this event in Carpinteria met the qualifications for a tornado.
Remember that crazy micro-burst on the beach?! It was September 2017. Four or five videos of it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzleWvHo5UY

a-1679517210 Mar 22, 2023 01:33 PM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

"Meteorologists will determine if this event in Carpinteria met the qualifications for a tornado."

Um, I wonder if those unpermitted structures met the basic building code qualifications/standards...

a-1679471936 Mar 22, 2023 12:58 AM
NWS Confirms Tornado Damaged Carpinteria Mobile Homes

NWS labelled it a microburst.

https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/170903_prt_rpts.html

Time Speed Location County State Lat Lon Comments
2154 80 2 SE SANTA BARBARA SANTA BARBARA 3440 11969 GUSTY WINDS WITH MICROBURST RECORDED AT SANTA BARBARA HARBOR. (LOX)

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