Sat Mar 08 12:30:00 UTC 2025: ## San Luis Obispo County Hit by Unusual Weather: Funnel Cloud and Hailstorm Cause Traffic Crash

**San Luis Obispo, CA –** San Luis Obispo County residents experienced a dramatic shift in weather Thursday, starting with the sighting of a possible funnel cloud and culminating in a hailstorm that caused a multi-car pileup.

Around 11:16 a.m., a KSBY viewer captured a photo of a funnel-cloud-like formation over San Luis Obispo. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Oxnard confirmed rotational movement within a rain cell at that time, but due to the phenomenon’s small size, they couldn’t definitively classify it as a full funnel cloud. Meteorologists believe it was likely a harmless cold air funnel, a visually similar but weaker event than a tornado.

Later, around 2:40 p.m., the same storm system unleashed a heavy hailstorm in the Shandon area. This resulted in a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 46, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The CHP attributed the crash to the hazardous driving conditions created by the hail, urging drivers to slow down and exercise caution. Emergency personnel responded to the scene.

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