For the first time in recorded history, downtown San Francisco was placed under a tornado warning on Saturday, as powerful storms swept through the area. The warning, issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), prompted brief but significant alarm before being lifted at 6:14 a.m. PST. A subsequent survey found that the damage in the city, including areas such as the Richmond District and Golden Gate Park, was caused by straight-line winds reaching up to 80 mph, rather than a tornado.
Amid the storm, San Francisco experienced high winds with gusts up to 83 mph reported at the airport, alongside widespread damage like downed trees and power lines. The threat intensified as the storm moved southward, where a confirmed tornado touched down in Scotts Valley at 1:40 p.m. The tornado caused injuries and damaged vehicles near Mount Hermon Drive, but no fatalities were reported.
This extreme weather event followed a tsunami warning just a week earlier, after a rare 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California. Though the tsunami threat was later canceled, the quake underscored the region's vulnerability to natural disasters.
California typically averages nine tornadoes per year, but this marked a rare occurrence for downtown San Francisco.
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