Wind gusts were forecast to top 50 mph in some areas. In Pico Rivera, a tornado with wind speeds reaching 85 mph traveled about a mile through a residential area of the city.

The storm, which forecasters said could produce tornadoes, is expected to strengthen Friday and move towards the central US.

Southern California, which was scorched by wildfires in January, was hit by more extreme weather. A rare tornado touched down in Pico Rivera, which is in the L.A. area. Meanwhile, in Riverside County,

A huge storm system crossing the U.S. threatens to unleash tornadoes Friday in the Mississippi Valley, blizzards in the northern Plains and dry, gusty conditions in Texas and Oklahoma that pose an extreme risk of wildfires.

The threat of tornadoes is moving east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South a day after a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up dust s

A sweeping storm system moving across the U.S. threatens to bring tornadoes, blizzards and possibly wildfires to different regions of the country