A tornado wreaked havoc near a mall in central California, causing chaos and sending several people to the hospital. The extreme weather also led to the issuance of the first-ever tornado warning in San Francisco. In addition to these incidents, various regions across the United States experienced severe weather conditions, including heavy snowfall in upstate New York, a significant ice storm in the Midwest, and warnings of severe weather around Lake Tahoe.
The ice storm that began on Friday evening created dangerous driving conditions in Iowa and eastern Nebraska, leading to temporary closures of Interstate 80 as numerous vehicles slid off the road. In upstate New York, reports indicated over 33 inches of snowfall near Orchard Park due to lake-effect snow.
On Saturday, a tornado touched down near a shopping mall in Scotts Valley, California, causing damage to cars, trees, and utility poles. Several individuals were injured and transported to hospitals, according to the Scotts Valley Police Department. In San Francisco, some trees fell onto streets and cars, damaging roofs. The extent of the damage was being assessed to confirm if it was indeed caused by a tornado, a rare occurrence for the city.
Meteorologist Roger Gass from the National Weather Service’s office in Monterey, California, noted that the tornado warning for San Francisco was unprecedented, as there had not been a similar alert since 2005. The fast-moving storm prompted residents to seek shelter, although the city lacks basements for protection. Meteorologist Dalton Behringer advised people to put as many walls between themselves and the outside as possible during such events.
In other regions, more than a foot of snow fell at Lake Tahoe ski resorts, with wind gusts reaching 112 mph at the Mammoth Mountain resort. The Tahoe Live music festival at Palisades Tahoe ski resort proceeded as scheduled despite the winter storm warning, with performances by artists like Lil Wayne and Diplo. Avalanche warnings remained in effect for elevations above 8,000 feet around Tahoe.
The severe weather in the Midwest resulted in at least one fatality, as a 57-year-old woman lost control of her pickup truck on Highway 30 near Arlington, Nebraska, resulting in a fatal collision with an oncoming truck. Businesses announced delayed openings as temperatures rose to melt the ice accumulation.
Tens of thousands of people in western Washington state experienced power outages due to rain and gusty winds. Despite the challenges posed by the inclement weather, communities worked to overcome the aftermath and restore normalcy to the affected areas.
