Several people have faced the harrowing aftermath of a tornado that touched down in coastal Santa Cruz County in northern California. This rare event has left a trail of destruction and raised concerns about safety and recovery in the region.

Unveiling the Turbulent Tale of a Coastal Tornado

Section 1: The Tornado's Arrival and Path

A rare tornado made a terrifying descent in the small town of Scotts Valley, located approximately 70 miles away from San Francisco. Around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th, as reported by local Monterey outlet KION-TV, the Associated Press, and CBS Bay Area. The National Weather Service classified this tornado as EF1, a relatively weaker form. Scotts Valley police shared in a Facebook post that power lines were brought down and cars were overturned when the tornado hit outside a Target. A NWS preliminary damage survey report posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday indicated that the tornado lasted about five minutes, traveling southeast for about a quarter mile and being about 30 yards wide. Winds were estimated to have reached a peak of about 90 miles per hour. Photos shared by the Scotts Valley Police Department showed at least three vehicles with broken windshields as tree branches and power lines littered the ground. "A wide range of damage was observed, including downed trees, power poles, and trees stripped of branches," the NWS stated.

Section 2: Injuries and Rescue Efforts

The Scotts Valley Fire Protection District informed CBS News that between four and five people were injured in the tornado. All of them sustained either minor or moderate injuries, with two being hospitalized. One of the injured was a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battalion chief on duty. Cal Fire told CBS that his vehicle was flipped over, but he is expected to recover. Police also worked to restore power overnight, and previously closed streets have since reopened. This shows the coordinated efforts of various agencies in dealing with the aftermath of the tornado.

Section 3: Impact on Northern California's Weather

Northern California has experienced a series of severe weather events over the weekend linked to the powerful storm that passed through the region on Friday night. The NWS issued its first-ever tornado warning in San Francisco on Saturday morning before 6 a.m., although a tornado there never actually materialized. Several smaller cities in the area, such as Novato, also experienced power outages. I-580 closed near San Joaquin and Alameda counties after a big rig truck crashed into several other vehicles. The NWS reported that San Francisco has not seen a tornado since 2005, according to the AP. "This was the first-ever warning for a possible tornado in San Francisco. I would guess there wasn't a clear signature on radar for a warning in 2005," Roger Gass, a meteorologist in the Weather Service based out of Monterey, told the AP. Meteorologist Dalton Behringer recommended that San Francisco and Bay Area residents take as much cover as possible in the event of a tornado, given that many homes in the area typically do not have basements. "The biggest thing that we tell people in the city is to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible," Behringer told the AP.