VIDEO: Scotts Valley tornado flips cars, damages businesses in Northern California

SCOTTS VALLEY, CA – A rare tornado in Northern California on Saturday caused quite a bit of damage as the spiraling vortex flipped cars, damaged homes and businesses and left thousands without power.

Photos and video from Santa Cruz County showed the city of Scotts Valley hardest hit, with Christmas shoppers taking cover as the severe weather moved through the region.

HOW TO SEE FOX WEATHER

In a video, a woman could be heard shouting: “Let’s go home, let’s go home,” as debris threw the couple’s car onto one of the main thoroughfares around 1:30 p.m. local time.

Local officials said several people were injured and damage was reported to be significant from the brief tornado, which was determined to be an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds of 90 mph.

SAN FRANCISCO HAS FIRST EVER TORNADO WARNING AS ATMOSPHERIC RIVER COLLECTS CALIFORNIA

This is according to the Scotts Valley Police Department some local roads remained closed throughout the evening and were expected to remain closed until at least Sunday morning.

That, police said, was to allow for repairs to damaged power lines and other equipment and to allow crews to remove debris and other hazards from the roadway and surrounding areas.

This image shows information about a tornado warning in San Francisco on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

(FOX Weather)

Several hours earlier, San Francisco was placed under its first ever tornado warning as a powerful storm system hit the state.

National Weather Service survey teams examined damage left by the powerful storm and estimated that sustained winds of about 80 mph were responsible for the damage.

In the harsh weather, PowerOutage.us reported more than 128,000 power outages in the Golden State, most of which are located south of the Bay Area and in the Sierra Nevada.

Improved Fujita scale.

(FOX Weather)

HOW RARE ARE TORNADOES IN CALIFORNIA?

According to a NOAA database, tornadoes are rare in much of the western United States

Since 1950, there have been fewer than 500 reported tornadoes in California that have resulted in injuries but no deaths.

According to the NWS office in Sacramento, an average of 11 occur each year and are most common during the spring and fall.

The atmospheric river event that caused the latest round of severe weather is expected to subside on Sunday before another round of heavy rainfall approaches the coast on Monday and Tuesday.

Satellite of powerful storm system impacting California coastline Saturday.

(NOAA)