Funnel Clouds Spinning, Lightening Striking: Did You See 'Nature's Light Show'

CALIFORNIA — Nature delivered an unusual and at times volatile display today — funnel clouds that swept up into the skies as hail fell and lightening crackled over Californians.

The performance drew widespread attention from weather watchers and forecasters.

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The National Weather Service Bay Area confirmed reports of funnel clouds near Milpitas, Fremont, and over Tomales Bay as thunderstorms pushed through the region. The same system spawned tornadoes in the Central Valley and dumped hail in the eastern hills of Cloverdale in Sonoma County.

Forecasters linked the activity to a cold, unstable low-pressure system that fueled rotating storm cells and intense electrical activity.

The National Weather Service counted 11,705 lightning strikes in 24 hours, including more than 1,400 cloud-to-ground strikes, with much of the storm energy concentrated in the Central Valley and Sierra Foothills.

“It was an incredibly active Tuesday across Northern California,” the U.S. National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey office posted, calling the storm barrage “Nature’s Light Show.”

Rainfall totals also piled up. Boulder Creek recorded the region’s highest precipitation over the previous 36 hours, measuring 3.78 inches as of 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the weather service.

According to NOAA, funnel clouds form when a rotating column of air extends downward from a storm cloud. If that circulation touches the ground, it becomes a tornado.

For much of the Bay Area, the storm delivered a rare mix of heavy rain, hail, lightning, and those spinning clouds — a combination that turned an ordinary April day into a dramatic atmospheric event.