Storm dumps nearly 3 inches of rain in parts of Santa Cruz County; tornado investigation underway

A strong weather system brought nearly 3 inches of rain to parts of Santa Cruz County on Monday night, with meteorologists also investigating reports of a possible tornado touching down on the coast north of the county.

A rain gauge in Ben Lomond recorded the highest amount of rainfall in the entire Bay Area, at 2.94 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Flynn.

“This was just in somebody’s backyard, but it looks believable to me,” he said.

Throughout Monday, Flynn said that the most official gauge at Watsonville Municipal Airport recorded 1.38 inches of rain, while a separate gauge in another part of Ben Lomond read 1.99 inches.

Although the weather agency issued a flood advisory during Monday afternoon and evening, Flynn said that no flooding occurred, even on smaller streams.

“It was mostly just some urban and roadway flooding and a lot of accidents on the road,” he said.

More rain is likely to roll into the county Tuesday afternoon after a brief respite, but is expected to be much lighter. Scattered showers will likely begin between 3 and 7 p.m., according to Flynn. He added that by the time Wednesday rolls around, the majority of the rain will push east.

KSBW reported Monday evening that a possible tornado touched down in Pescadero, north of the Santa Cruz-San Mateo county line. Flynn said that NWS is aware of the report, and that there is a damage survey team investigating the report to determine whether or not a tornado did, in fact, hit the region. He said the agency would likely post its findings on social media Tuesday afternoon.

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