SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) – The National Weather Service rates the Scotts Valley tornado an EF1, according to the agency’s survey.

According to the NWS, the event lasted from 1:39 p.m. to 1:44 p.m. and spanned 0.31 miles long and 30 yards wide, with winds reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour.

The EF scale rates a tornado EF1 if it reaches speeds between 86 miles per hour and 110 miles per hour.

“A wide range of damage was observed, including downed trees, utility poles and dismembered trees,” the NWS said.

Numerous overturned vehicles and damaged road signs were also cited.

Tornado flips cars upside down in Scotts Valley, injuries reported

A tornado touched down in Scotts Valley around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The strong wind, which only lasted a few minutes, overturned several cars.

Several people were treated for minor injuries when the cars overturned on Mount Hermon Road.

At 1:30 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area. Our senior editor on the scene reported seeing debris flying through the air.

KION’s chief meteorologist Dann Cianca says this tornado was caused by a supercell thunderstorm. Supercells have rotating updrafts called mesocyclones, which can sometimes also support the development of tornadoes. While the tornado itself was undetectable on radar, the storm’s rotation was obvious. It is possible that damaging straight-line winds also accompanied the tornado in the area.

The National Weather Service Bay Area confirms the tornado on its X side.