Quick Take
The National Weather Service has canceled a tornado warning for Santa Cruz County. The warning was issued at 12:19 p.m. Thursday and scheduled to remain in effect until 1 p.m., but it was lifted shortly before 1 p.m.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has canceled a tornado warning for Santa Cruz County. The warning was issued at 12:19 p.m. Thursday and scheduled to remain in effect until 1 p.m., but it was lifted shortly before 1 p.m.
NWS meteorologist Cynthia Palmer told Lookout that the agency observed a storm moving across Monterey Bay that was rotating which meant it had the potential to form a tornado. But she said meteorologists did not observe any tornados coming ashore.
Winds in Santa Cruz were extremely intense Wednesday night into Christmas Day Thursday. Gusts reached maximum speeds in the low 90s mph over mountain peaks like Mount Umunhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains and along the coast.
A Facebook video of the small craft harbor parking lot on Thursday morning shows boats toppled and scattered throughout the parking lot with sails torn. Although the video’s title mentions a tornado, Palmer said that there have not been any tornadoes reported as part of this series of storms.
Lookout reached out to Harbormaster Blake Anderson early Thursday afternoon, but he was not immediately available for comment on whether a tornado caused the damage at the harbor.
Palmer said the most recent time Santa Cruz County experienced a confirmed tornado was last December, when a tornado damaged cars and brought down trees and utility poles in Scotts Valley, closing Mount Hermon Road to traffic.
Winds are likely to die down over the next two days, with gusts expected to reach as high as 34 mph on Thursday night and 20 mph on Friday. Rain is forecast to continue into Saturday, with 1-2 more inches likely between Thursday and Saturday night.
Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.
