SAN FRANCISCO, CA — For the first time ever, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for San Francisco as a system roared on shore Saturday morning, bringing damaging winds.
The National Weather Service said that it received reports of downed trees and power lines throughout the region. As of early Saturday afternoon, it was unclear whether the damage was from a tornado. The National Weather Service said it is sending crews to survey the damage and determine if a tornado touched down.
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Roger Glass, a meteorologist in the Weather Service's Monterey, California, office, told the Associated Press that San Francisco has not had a tornado touchdown since 2005. That tornado did not have a warning before it struck the city, he told the AP.
“This was the first ever warning for a possible tornado in San Francisco. I would guess there wasn’t a clear signature on radar for a warning in 2005,” he told the AP.
Surrounding areas also had some damaging winds. San Mateo County had a reported wind gust of 83 mph and Monterey County reported a 78 mph wind gust.
So far in 2024, the National Weather Service has confirmed five tornadoes in California. The last time California had a December tornado was in 2019.
