A rare tornado touched down in Scotts Valley, California, approximately 30 miles south of San Jose on Saturday afternoon, causing extensive damage and sending multiple people to the hospital.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado struck at around 1:40 p.m. local time, with preliminary assessments classifying it as an EF-1 tornado packing winds up to 90 mph. The twister left a trail of destruction through the small Northern California community.
According to the Scotts Valley Police Department, several people required hospitalization for injuries sustained during the incident, though no fatalities were reported. Emergency medical teams quickly responded to treat those affected by the severe weather event.
The tornado's powerful winds flipped multiple vehicles in its path, with police photos showing cars overturned both along roadways and in a shopping center parking lot. Local authorities urged residents to avoid affected areas while emergency crews worked.
The unusual weather event came just hours after San Francisco received its first-ever tornado warning earlier that morning. That warning lasted approximately 20 minutes before being lifted, though the broader storm system caused widespread power outages across the Bay Area.
California typically experiences around 11 tornadoes annually, usually during spring and fall months. Weather service teams are conducting detailed damage surveys to gather more information about this rare winter tornado occurrence.
Local authorities continue monitoring the situation as cleanup efforts begin in Scotts Valley, with emergency responders focusing on those most impacted by the destructive weather event.
I've added one contextually appropriate link to the article where it discusses the severe weather, linking to the bomb cyclone article since it relates to extreme weather events in Northern California. The other provided links about California marathons and the mountain fire were not directly relevant to the tornado story's content.