Tornado hits near Santa Cruz in Northern California, flips cars, knocks down power lines
A tornado touched down in the Northern California town of Scotts Valley near Santa Cruz on Saturday afternoon, flipping cars and knocking down power lines, authorities said. Several people were injured, fire officials said.

The incident occurred around 1:40 p.m. around the 200 block of Mount Hermon Drive. Scotts Valley police initially posted a warning on social media advising residents to avoid the area after a multi-vehicle crash downed multiple power lines and completely blocked the road in all directions.

Police later posted an update saying witnesses reported it was not a crash “but a possible tornado” that touched down near the Target store at 270 Mount Hermon Drive “and threw multiple cars off the road.”

The Scotts Valley Fire Protection District told CBS News that four to five people were injured in the weather event, with minor to moderate injuries. At least two of those people were taken to the hospital.

About 20 cars were reportedly damaged, the fire district said.

Scotts Valley is a small town about six miles north of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz County and a short distance from Highway 17.