A rare tornado tears through part of Los Angeles County. Here's why that's so unusual

An aerial view of roof damage after a rare confirmed tornado touched down and ripped up building roofs in a Los Angeles suburb on Wednesday in Montebello, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A tornado tore through Montebello, Calif., in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, damaging buildings and cars in a part of the country that doesn't frequently see tornadoes.

The strongest tornado to impact the Los Angeles Metro area since March 1983 touched down at 11:14 a.m. for two to three minutes, according to the National Weather Service. Its peak winds topped 100 miles per hour and injured at least one person. Nearby Santa Barbara county saw a smaller tornado the same day, with peak winds of about 75 miles per hour, according to NWS.