Tornado-like windstorm damages San Clemente golf course amid string of climate emergencies

San Clemente, already coping with the aftermath of the Norte fire and coastal erosion from recent El Niño storms, faced another weather threat when a wind phenomenon swept across its municipal golf course on Wednesday night. Videos and photos show trees broken and a line of debris left across the fairway, prompting an Instagram post from former mayor Tim Brown describing the event as a “cyclone.” An 86-year-old homeowner, Jon Malnekoff, said a plexiglass pane was forced into his living room by the gust.

The National Weather Service issued a special thunderstorm alert earlier that evening, warning of wind gusts up to 55 mph, and sent a team to assess whether the damage resulted from a tornado, though a definitive classification remains pending. The incident adds to a series of severe storms across Southern California that have caused flooding, rescues and additional tornado warnings. The city continues to battle coastal erosion, rail line disruptions, and the lingering risk of mudslides from recent wildfires.