Storm brings hail, cold air funnel to San Luis Obispo County

Residents of San Luis Obispo County experienced a bout of unusual weather Thursday, beginning with the sighting of a cold air funnel cloud in the morning and a hailstorm later in the day in northern San Luis Obispo County that contributed to a traffic incident.

Around 11:16 a.m., KSBY viewer Leslie E. captured a striking photograph of what appeared to be a funnel cloud forming over San Luis Obispo. The image was forwarded to KSBY News Meteorologist Dave Hove who then contacted the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Oxnard.

Meteorologists at the NWS office reviewed the photograph and checked their Doppler radar. They confirmed the presence of rotation within a rain cell moving over the area at the time of the sighting. However, due to the small scale of the phenomenon, radar could not definitively confirm the formation of a full-fledged funnel cloud.

Experts believe the observed cloud was a cold air funnel. These funnel-shaped clouds develop when cold air is present high above a shower or thunderstorm. While visually similar to tornadoes, cold air funnels are generally considered harmless and rarely cause damage. They differ significantly from true tornadoes, which are associated with much stronger thunderstorms and possess greater structural integrity and strength.

Later in the afternoon, the same storm system unleashed heavy hail in the Shandon area around 2:40 p.m. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported responding to a multi-car crash on Highway 46 in Shandon related to the hazardous weather conditions.

WATCH: Meteorologist Dave Hovde's 4 p.m. news forecast