California, 2004

Funnel Cloud in California, October 17, 2004

October 17, 2004 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.

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Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Merced

When
October 17, 1:01 PM PST to 1:10 PM PST
Where
Merced County, 5 mi E of Merced
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter reports indicated a funnel cloud east to southeast of Merced during the early afternoon of the 17th.

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5426098.