Authorities in Santa Cruz County are investigating the touchdown of a tornado on Saturday in the area of Scotts Valley.
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. – The rare occurrence of a tornado in Northern California on Saturday caused quite a bit of damage as the spiraling vortex flipped cars, damaged homes and businesses and left thousands without power.
Photos and videos from Santa Cruz County showed the town of Scotts Valley to be the hardest hit, with shoppers taking cover as the severe storm moved through.
A woman could be heard yelling, “let’s go home, let’s go home” as debris struck the couple’s car on one of the main thoroughfares around 1:30 p.m. local time.
Local authorities said several people were injured and damage was reported to be significant from the brief tornado.
“At this time, several individuals have been transported to nearby trauma centers for evaluation and treatment. While injuries have been reported, there have been no fatalities at this time. Emergency medical teams are prioritizing those most in need of care, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. The tornado has caused extensive damage in several areas, including overturning several vehicles in and around the shopping district,” police stated in a news release following the storm.
San Francisco Tornado Warning
(FOX Weather)
SAN FRANCISCO HAS FIRST-EVER TORNADO WARNING AS ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SLAMS CALIFORNIA
Several hours earlier, San Francisco was put under its first ever Tornado Warning as a powerful storm system slammed the state.
National Weather Service survey crews investigated damage left behind by the powerful storm and estimated that straight line winds of around 80 mph were responsible for the damage.
The agency said additional meteorologists were dispatched to Scotts Valley, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, to determine the strength of the twister on the Enhanced Fujita Wind Scale.
During the height of the severe weather, PowerOutage.us reported more than 128,000 electric outages in the Golden State, with most located south of the Bay Area and in the Sierra Nevada.
Enhanced Fujita Scale
(FOX Weather)
HOW RARE ARE TORNADOES IN CALIFORNIA?
According to a NOAA database, tornadoes are a rarity in large sections of the western U.S.
Since 1950, there have been less than 500 reported tornadoes in California, which have led to injuries but no fatalities.
According to the NWS office in Sacramento, on average 11 occur every year and are most common during the spring and fall.
The atmospheric river event that caused the recent round of severe weather is expected to subside on Sunday before another round of heavy rainfall approaches the coast on Monday and Tuesday.
Satellite of powerful storm system impacting the California coastline on Saturday.
(NOAA)
