by Dennis Romero
December 14, 2024
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/tornad ... na184281(NBC News) Tornado alley it's not, but a section of California was hit Saturday with a rare tornado that has been blamed for injuring five people and flipping vehicles as a storm moved across the state.
A tornado in Scotts Valley, a small city about 6 miles north of Santa Cruz, "threw multiple cars off the road," the city police department said on Facebook, where it posted images of overturned vehicles.
Police Capt. Scott Garner said five people, most in vehicles that were tossed or moved by the tornado, sustained injuries, none of them major. Three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, while two refused treatment at the scene, he said.
A National Weather Service damage survey determined an EF1 tornado touched down in Scotts Valley at 1:39 p.m. local time and had an estimated peak wind of 90 mph.
The tornado traveled about 30 yards, with the most severe damage on Mount Hermon Road, the city’s main street and retail district, the survey found.
caltrek’s comment: One thing I learned in reading the rest of the news story that I have linked is that California averages 11 tornados a year. This came as a surprise to me, partially explained by the fact that most of these tornados are confined to California’s Central Valley region. This is well away from where I live. A tornado so close to the coast is relatively rare.