Officials issue first-ever tornado warning for San Francisco

On December 15, 2024By Littum

For the first time ever, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for San Francisco as a system roared onto the coast Saturday morning, bringing damaging winds.

The National Weather Service said it received reports of downed trees and power lines throughout the region. Already early Saturday afternoon, it was unclear whether the damage was from a tornado. The National Weather Service said it is sending crews to survey the damage and determine if a tornado touched down.

Roger Glass, a meteorologist at the Weather Service’s Monterey, Calif., office, told the Associated Press that San Francisco hasn’t had a tornado touchdown since 2005. That tornado didn’t have a warning before it hit the city, he told the AP.

“This was the first warning ever for a possible tornado in San Francisco. I would guess there wasn’t a clear signature on the radar for a warning in 2005,” he told the AP.

The surrounding areas also had some damaging winds. San Mateo County had a reported gust of 83 mph and Monterey County reported a 78 mph gust.

So far in 2024, the National Weather Service has confirmed five tornadoes in California. The last time California had a December tornado was in 2019.