Tornado warning issued in California as severe storms produce hailstones the size of quarters

Severe storms battered California with quarter-sized hail and devastating flooding that forced 10,000 people to evacuate their homes Saturday as a rare tornado warning was issued for Fresno County.

Funnel clouds were seen in the heart of the California Gold Rush Saturday afternoon and the weather service issued a tornado warning for the Sierra Nevada foothills as strong thunderstorms, hail and strong winds blanketed the region.

A set of tornado warnings were briefly issued in Fresno County, nearly 100 miles south of the Gold Country, as California continues to be drenched by storms.

Several people in the Fresno area posted photos of themselves holding quarter-sized hail, with a couple using the hashtag ‘What hail?!’.

Flash flood warnings went into effect Saturday night in Tuolumne County, with roads submerged around Sonora and neighboring communities.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the hail or tornado threats Saturday.

This week’s storm marked the state’s 10th atmospheric river of winter, storms that brought tremendous amounts of rain and snow to the state and helped ease three-year dry conditions.

State reservoirs that had dipped to shockingly low levels are now well above average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from reservoirs to help control flooding and make room for more rain.

Across the state on Saturday, Californians faced torrential rains and rising water levels from the atmospheric river.

Across Monterey County on the Central Coast, more than 8,500 people received evacuation orders and warnings Saturday, including approximately 1,700 residents, many of them Latino farmworkers, from the unincorporated community of Pájaro.

Authorities said the Pajaro River levee breach is about 100 feet wide. Crews had gone door-to-door Friday afternoon to urge residents to leave before the rains hit, but some stayed and had to be pulled out of the floodwaters early Saturday.

Multiple people in Fresno County posted photos of themselves holding quarter-sized hail

Snow is being blown by strong winds as storm clouds pass, and snow continues to fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the wake of an atmospheric event on the river on Saturday.

Both sides of Highway 99 closed due to flooding in Tulare County Earlimart

A view of the damaged highway and the Tule River along Highway 190 during heavy rain in Springville

First responders and the California National Guard rescued more than 50 people overnight. A video showed a member of the Guard helping a driver out of a car trapped in waist-deep water.

In Tulare County, the sheriff ordered residents living near the Tule River to evacuate, while people living near Poso Creek in Kern County were under an evacuation warning.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service issued flood warnings and advisories, pleading with motorists to stay off flooded roads.

In San Francisco, an 85-foot Eucalyptus tree fell on the Trocadero Club House early Saturday morning. The 1892 clubhouse, a San Francisco historical landmark, was severely damaged, with part of the roof crushed and the interior flooded.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, a move that will bring more federal assistance.

In Tulare County, the sheriff ordered the evacuation of residents living near the Tule River, while people near Poso Creek in Kern County were under an evacuation warning.

During a break in the rain, farm workers drain lettuce fields of flood water as an atmospheric river storm lashes California in Salinas

A road washed out by heavy rain in Springville

A view of the landslide on Highway 190 during heavy rain in Springville

Car diversion on flooded highway 144 on both sides of highway 99

President Biden spoke with Newsom on Saturday to pledge the support of the federal government in California’s response to the emergency, the White House said.

The atmospheric river, known as the ‘Pineapple Express’ because it brought warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii, was melting the undersides of the massive snowpack in the California mountains.

Another atmospheric river is already in the forecast for early next week. State climatologist Michael Anderson said a third appeared to be taking shape over the Pacific, and possibly a fourth.

California appeared to be “well on its way to a fourth year of drought” before the series of early winter storms, Anderson said Friday.

“We are in a very different condition now,” he added.

A thunderstorm and tornado warming was given for this cloud formation in northeast Stanislaus County.

The Tuolumne River, in Modesto, California, is nearing the edge of its banks and near a mobile home park.

Highway 190 is closed after mudslides during heavy rain

A view of the Tule River as snow melts off the mountain during heavy rain in Springville

A thunderstorm and tornado warming was given for this cloud formation in northeast Stanislaus County.

The National Weather Service on Saturday forecast intensified rain and snow Monday through Wednesday, with significant flooding possible along the state’s central coast, the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, and the southern Sierra Nevada foothills to mid week

Another round of heavy, wet snow is expected to hit the Sierras and high-elevation areas by midweek, the weather service said.

Authorities reported about 32 inches of snow had fallen Saturday morning at Mount Rose Ski Resort outside Reno, Nevada.

Tornadoes do occur occasionally, but are still quite rare in California, averaging 11 per year.

There has never been a deadly tornado in the history of the Golden State. The most recent occurred last November, according to redness.