Downtown San Francisco experiences first tornado warning in recorded history

CNN
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For the first time in recorded history, downtown San Francisco was issued a tornado warning on Saturday as severe storms swept through the city, just one week after a tsunami warning triggered widespread panic in the region.

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management confirmed the tornado threat ended around 6:14 a.m. PST after the storm moved northeast of downtown.

“Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. If you are outdoors, in a mobile, home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from debris,” SFDEM urged residents in an earlier tweet.

The National Weather Service (NWS) also issued a flood advisory and high wind warning, with sustained winds of up to 40 mph expected in areas along the coast. San Francisco Airport reported a wind gust of 72 knots (83 mph) at the time the storm passed by. Videos show extreme winds shaking palm trees in San Francisco and downed trees and power lines.

More than 10,000 people were without power in San Francisco as of Saturday morning.

California averages nine tornadoes in a year. No tornado warnings had ever previously been recorded for downtown San Francisco, the NWS confirmed.

One week prior, a tsunami warning was issued for the San Francisco Bay area and nearly 5 million people along parts of the Northern California and Oregon coastlines after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the California coast on December 5. A quake that strong is relatively rare, with officials reporting only about 15 around the world each year.

Coastal communities avoided potential disaster and the warning was canceled by the National Tsunami Warning Center after some residents fled their homes. Most significant off-coast quakes prompt such warnings, as experts have little time to determine the immediate risk, and the result of a tsunami could be disastrous.

The quake’s epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean south of Eureka, California, the US Geological Survey said. Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, and about 300 miles northwest of Sacramento.