Reports of tornado in Scotts Valley

OAKLAND, Calif. – Video shared with KTVU shows a tornado touching down near a parking lot in Scotts Valley on Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service said, based on video, photos, first-hand reports and radar signatures, a tornado touched down around 1:40 p.m. They said their officials are working to determine a ranking for the tornado.

Photos of the aftermath also show that several cars were overturned by the tornado. The Santa Cruz Cogeneration Plant has closed Mt. Hermon Road between Kings Village and Lockwood due to multiple accidents blocking the road.

They advise drivers to avoid the area and use alternative routes. No expected reopening date was given.

Fallen trees and power lines

In Novato, some roads were closed due to winds gusting to 70 to 80 mph. A downed power line was seen on Fairway Drive near Carnoustie around 11am on Saturday.

Emergency crews are on Mission Street and 25th Street to help clear fallen trees following the storm in San Francisco.

Overturned vehicles

A tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 580 at I-205 westbound around 2 p.m. Saturday due to high winds in the area. There were also several spin-offs for individual vehicles.

The westbound and eastbound lanes of I-580 are blocked and the highway is closed in both directions until winds die down and cars can be righted, CHP Tracy said.

CHP Dublin added that roads are not expected to reopen for another three hours.

Short but historic tornado warning

A powerful winter storm devastated the Bay Area Friday night into Saturday, causing widespread problems, power outages, downed trees and flooding. Off and on rain and strong, gusty winds continued to batter the region as the storm moved east.

Residents in San Francisco and parts of San Mateo counties reported being suddenly awakened by a tornado warning from the National Weather Service. It was the city’s first tornado warning ever.

According to the NWS at “X,” the warning read “radar indication,” meaning possible tornado conditions were detected. There is no confirmation of a tornado landing yet. The warning went off about 20 minutes later.

Wind speeds of more than 60 miles per hour were reported at the time. The NWS is investigating whether there was any damage in the area, including downed trees caused by tornadoes.

“Tsunamis, tornadoes…man who knows what’s coming next,” said Sam Marshall of San Francisco. “I grew up in Pennsylvania and we got tornado warnings all the time, but I don’t remember one ever touching down.”

From the Outer Sunset to the Outer Richmond, crews worked to clean up the damage. Several lanes were closed at 36th Avenue and Fulton and traffic was rerouted as workers removed trees stuck in the roadway and parked vehicles.

As of 11 a.m., PG&E reported 108,978 customers without power in San Francisco, the Peninsula, East Bay, South Bay and North Bay. Novato police reported a citywide power outage and urged people to stay home.

Widespread wind-related damage was reported across the Bay Area, including video captured of cars submerged in Livermore at Murrieta and Stanley boulevards.

As the storm continues to move east, KTVU meteorologists say the back side of the front will continue to cause instability, making developing thunderstorms possible, and gusty winds will continue to blow across the area.

Powerful waves crashed against the seawall and jumped over the pier in Pacifica.

Rescue workers urged people to stay away from beaches and the coast as heavy rain and wind swept through the area.

“This took longer than (normal), normally the rain blows through here pretty quickly, but last night it rained all night, it was a pretty heavy downpour,” Pacifica resident Tom Sershen said.

Rain remained heavy into early Saturday and whipping winds remained a concern.

Jed Thompson is a local surfer who stays away from the coast.

“It’s way too windy to surf today though, there’s too much chop and I doubt anyone will go out, plus the water quality degrades quite a bit when there’s runoff,” Thompson said.

The storm knocked out power to hundreds of PG&E customers in Pacifica, including the Seaview Tire and Brake Center. Although power was restored in the morning, owner Bill Meyerhoff said he still had no internet or phone service. He was still working to serve as many customers as possible. He said he has seen an increase in business due to the storm.

“We’ve had a lot of people in the last few days doing just that – hitting curbs and damaging tires and rims and so on,” he said.

The next storm is expected to arrive on Monday.

This story will continue to be updated.

Severe WeatherPG&ENewsSanta Cruz County