Tornado flips cars upside down in Scotts Valley, injuries reported

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) – A tornado touched down in Scotts Valley around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Several car were flipped over with the powerful winds that lasted just a few minutes.

Several people were treated for minor injuries where the cars were flipped over on Mount Hermon Road.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued by the National Weather Service for the area at 1:30 p.m. Our managing editor at the scene reported seeing debris flying through the air.

KION’s Chief Meteorologist Dann Cianca says this tornado was spawned by a supercell thunderstorm. Supercells have rotating updrafts called mesocyclones that can sometimes also aid in tornado development. While the tornado itself was not evident on radar, the storm's rotation was obvious. It's possible that the tornado was also accompanied by damaging straight-line winds in the area.

The National Weather Service Bay Area confirming the Tornado on its X page.