Tornado, hail, snow as storms sweep through California

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) - A tornado touched down in a California field as weekend thunderstorms swept through the central part of the state, dropping rain and dime-sized hail, forecasters said.

Cellphone video posted online showed a towering vortex spinning Saturday evening near Davis.

National Weather Service forecaster Emily Heller told the San Francisco Chronicle that there was no damage.

Tornadoes in the Central Valley aren't entirely unusual and are "weaker and more short-lived" than ones typically seen in the Midwest, she said.

"Tornado outside Davis. Totally terrified me. I was heading back to Davis from Woodland," wrote Twitter user @ thedreadedheidi.

Saturday's storm blanketed some roadways with hail in and around Solano County. More stormy conditions were possible Sunday evening.

To the east, forecasters issued a winter weather advisory after several inches of snow fell in the Sierra Nevada.

Heller called it "the first real snow of the season."

Elevations of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) and above recorded up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of fresh powder on Saturday. More snow was forecast for Sunday into Monday and the highest mountain peaks could see up to 6 inches (15 centimeters).

The severe weather is the result of a cold front over the Pacific Northwest that is spinning out waves of unstable air as it moves east, Heller told the newspaper.