Updated April 19, 2018 17:09:04

Residents in parts of Southern California have woken to an "invasion" of tumbleweed outside their front doors.

Victorville in the high desert north-east of Los Angeles was inundated on Monday (local time) after strong winds swept in the roaming plant.

A spokeswoman for the town said as many as 150 homes were affected, with some properties covered in tumbleweed up to the second storey.

Resident Tanya Speight said she had never seen anything like it.

"It's an invasion," Ms Speight told ABC7 News.

"Normally you get a few flying down the street or whatnot, but never this many that will stack up even this much.

"It's never been this bad."

Nancy Martinez-Brown posted on Instagram that the tumbleweed had made it over her six-foot fence to fill her backyard.

"I have lived in the high desert for 40 years … in the last two years the tumbleweeds have been out of control," Ms Martinez-Brown said.

"There are times where I will be upstairs and will see huge tumbleweeds flying by the second storey window.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen."

City workers and residents had to clear the streets with rakes before the plants were taken away.

Photo: Nancy Martinez-Brown's backyard was filled with tumbleweed. (Instagram: Nancy Martinez-Brown)

ABC/AP

Topics: pests-diseases-and-control-methods, plants, united-states

First posted April 19, 2018 10:38:27