Funnel clouds surprise residents in Salinas and Hollister, NWS is investigating
By Zoe Hunt
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SALINAS, California (KSBW) — Two funnel clouds formed near Salinas and Hollister, surprising residents and prompting an investigation by the National Weather Service.
The first funnel cloud appeared in Salinas, followed by another near Hollister, with both formations occurring less than 30 minutes apart.
Although these funnel clouds resemble tornadoes, they are not classified as such unless they make contact with the ground, which has not been confirmed for either cloud.
David Chambers, who witnessed the Salinas funnel cloud, said, “I saw a wall cloud coming over the airport area. As I came back to the office, I told my boss, I think there might be a tornado. And everybody chuckled. Sure. And as we walked around this building, you see here where we saw the beginnings of a funnel cloud. And again he said, Oh, maybe that’s a tornado. And within seconds, we started to see it rolling down. It did not appear to touch the ground. And again, within seconds, we had a really intense thunder, lightning, hail, rain.”
Chambers and his coworkers sought shelter from the storm, watching the funnel cloud dissipate from inside their building.
He noted that they never saw it touch the ground. The funnel cloud near Hollister, due to its horizontal nature, is also unlikely to have made contact with the ground.
This occurrence is rare for the Central Coast, as residents are not accustomed to seeing funnel clouds, let alone two forming just 20 minutes apart.
The National Weather Service is aware of the situation and is investigating further.
If it is determined that either funnel cloud touched the ground, updates will be provided.
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