UPDATE: Tornado Warnings Allowed To Expire After Funnel Cloud Sighting Near Folsom Lake
5 p.m. UPDATE: A possible tornado may have hit in Modesto. These photos are from viewer Randy Crook in the area of Floyd Avenue and Coffee Road.
If you see power lines down, treat them like they are live and call 911. Do not attempt to move them.
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4:30 p.m. UPDATE: The tornado warning in Amador County has been allowed to expire. No tornado warnings are active at this time.
Wow! Great video of #tornado this afternoon in El Dorado Hills, CA. From Casey Crittenden. #cawx pic.twitter.com/mTt5TOGuQN
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) December 25, 2015
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4:15 p.m. UPDATE: The tornado warning in El Dorado County has been allowed to expire. It remains in effect for northwestern Amador County.
CBS13's Dave Bender says thunderstorms in the winter aren't unusual in Northern California as a mixture of cold air and afternoon warming create cells that roll off the coastal range, across the valley, then into the foothills.
The storm is also carrying the chance of thundersnow in the Sierra, which itself isn't unusual, though Bender says a storm with rotation like the one moving east currently heading into an area where the rain will turn to snow is unusual.
A hailstorm on eastbound Highway 50 stopped traffic at around 4,000 feet between Point View and Sand Flat.
EB US 50 traffic being held in both directions between Point View and Sand Flat (4000 ft) due to hail storm. No ETO
— Caltrans District 3 (@CaltransDist3) December 24, 2015
A half hour later, the traffic was allowed to move again.
EB US 50 traffic released at Sand Flat.
— Caltrans District 3 (@CaltransDist3) December 25, 2015
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4 p.m. UPDATE: The original tornado warning has been extended in Amador and El Dorado counties until 4:30 p.m.
STO issues Tornado Warning for Amador, El Dorado [CA] till 4:30 PM PST https://t.co/pAJ32atZPd
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) December 25, 2015
A broad area of cold air and instability from Thursday's winter storm is helping to create and power the cell that has held together for an hour.
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EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — A tornado warning has been issued for southwestern El Dorado County after reports of funnel cloud around Folsom Lake.
Video sent to the National Weather Service shows the funnel reaching toward the ground.
@NWSSacramento There was a tornado on the ground moments ago on Folsom lake. pic.twitter.com/W1Ib9srAZL
— Ameya Naik (@ameyanaik123) December 24, 2015
Listed areas of possible impact include Placerville, Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Shingle Springs, Rescue, Smithflat, Lotus, Coloma Diamond Springs and Clarksville.
No warning was issued before the sighting, showing how quickly the storms can develop and the need to pay close attention to weather conditions, even on Christmas Eve.
Folsom Police have not received reports of damage or injuries from the funnel cloud.
CBS13's Dave Bender says from judging from the video, the funnel cloud may have touched either the ground or the water, making it either a tornado or a water spout, though crews still need to verify if it actually touched ground.
Get the latest updates on the weather with the CBS Sacramento Weather App for both iOS and Android devices.
Folsom Lake has been the epicenter of California's drought. Four years of below normal rain have left the lake at near-record lows and forced severe water restrictions to customers relying on the lake's water. At the beginning of December, levels reached as low as 348.68 feet. Recent storms have bumped it up 20 feet, but it's still well below where water levels should be this time of the year.