The tornado, creating gusts of up 85 mph, left a trail 80 yards wide and a mile long, damaging homes, plowing over trees, taking down power lines and rupturing water pipes, authorities said. It hit a mile west of the 605 Freeway.

A major storm continued to wallop much of Southern California on Thursday morning, bringing evacuation warnings, fears of mudslides and heavy mountain snow.

California braced for the arrival of a massive storm on Wednesday, evacuating residents in areas at risk of mudslides and debris flows.