Tornado Hits Santa Cruz County

The National Weather Service is assessing the severity of a tornado that briefly wreaked havoc Saturday afternoon in Santa Cruz County.

The tornado touched down at about 1:40 p.m. near a shopping center in Scotts Valley, a small city in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Scenes of chaos posted to social media showed a leaning power pole, several flipped cars and ambulances responding to the scene.

In a Facebook post, the Scotts Valley Police Department said witnesses described a tornado throwing multiple cars off the road.

The number of injuries could not immediately be confirmed.

As of Saturday afternoon, PG&E was reporting up to 5,000 people without power in the area.

The National Weather Service issued a severe storm warning in the area about an hour before the twister formed.