Several people were injured, and a “wide range” of property damage was reported in the Santa Cruz community of Scotts Valley over the weekend after a rare tornado hit the area, the National Weather Service said.
The storm’s damage classified the tornado as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with a maximum wind speed of 90 mph, the weather service said in a preliminary report. The scale ranges from EF0, weak, to EF5, violent.
“A wide range of damage was observed including downed trees, downed power poles, trees stripped of branches, numerous overturned vehicles, and damaged street signs,” the weather service said.
A path of damage 0.31 miles long and up to 30 yards wide began near the intersection of Mount Hermon Road and Lockewood Lane and continued southeast along Mount Hermon Road to near Kings Village Road, meteorologists said.
The tornado was on the ground from about 1:39 p.m. to 1:44 p.m., the weather service said.
Scotts Valley Police Department spokesman Capt. Scott Garner said in a press release that the tornado left several people injured, vehicles overturned and damaged the Scotts Valley Shopping Center and nearby businesses.
He said multiple people were taken to trauma centers for treatment and evaluation. He said there were no confirmed fatalities.
Several collisions and other impacts to vehicles and power lines were caused by the weather event, which came after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area.
A large tree fell onto Scotts Valley Middle School and Mount Hermon Road was closed at Scotts Valley Road. The road was also closed between Lockewood Lane and Kings Village Road as impacted vehicles were cleared and injuries were assessed, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The tornado came hours after the National Weather Service issued an unprecedented tornado warning earlier Saturday morning for San Francisco, but that was canceled after the rotational winds that caused the warning moved past the city.
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