Funnel cloud spotted in Merced County as storms move through central San Joaquin Valley
A funnel cloud was spotted in Merced County Monday afternoon as a storm system was moving through the central San Joaquin Valley that was triggering heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Felix Castro of the National Weather Service in Hanford said they have seen the funnel cloud that was spotted in north of Merced County that triggered a tornado warning for the Mariposa, Merced and Tuolumne counties. The warning expired at 3:30 p.m.
Castro said they are not sure of the funnel cloud touched down but will survey for any damage.
“It was a very nice funnel cloud,” he said. “We’ll see if it created some kind of damage, especially in the open areas.”
Castro said it is possible more funnel clouds could form as the unstable weather moves through the Fresno region. He said the system is moving from northwest to southeast. He indicated the storms are developing “mainly north of Fresno right now and they are going to move southeast.”
He said the risk of funnel clouds could go on for another two hours.
“It is pretty much stationary,” he said. “It’s moving very slowly to our southeast, over the Five Points area.”
Lemoore could see some storms as well.
Showers could linger into tomorrow morning as the system is expected to move away, making way for a dry week.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 4:10 PM.
