SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. () — Several trees came down as severe weather hit San Clemente. The National Weather Service confirmed, however, that a tornado did not touch down in the area.
The NWS sent personnel to survey the storm damage. They say that a severe thunderstorm pushed through the area around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. Wednesday and believe winds most likely exceeded 58 mph. The storm uprooted trees.
Former San Clemente Mayor Tim Brown recorded video while on the municipal golf course as the storm passed and captured uprooted trees and heavy rain. He said that the winds and rain came out of nowhere.
Meteorologists on the ground say the storm’s strong winds affected only a small area and that it was not a tornado.
“Taking a look at weather data, discussing this with my colleagues, it looks like this is straight line wind damage. So we have just winds kind of came from the coast all the way up here. Kind of the debris was all in one direction, so some very strong winds that came through the area,” said NWS meteorologist Adam Roser.
Roser told Eyewitness News that the strength of the winds must have been extremely strong to be able to snap a palm tree. Palm trees are known to withstand very strong winds.
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