Rain, snow, and hail fall across Central California

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Heavy storms moved their way across Central California Thursday, bringing snow to the higher elevations and rain and hail to the Valley.

Hail pelted palm trees in Merced and slowed down traffic in Lemoore.

Joe Lopez captured this video of the hail pellets hitting his windshield as he left NAS Lemoore this afternoon.

"I didn't expect it to that magnitude cause there was probably an inch or two on the ground," said Lopez. It looked like snow had fallen cause it wasn't very hard, but it was sticking to the ground."

The pellets collecting on the roadway forced some drivers to pull off on the side of the road, including Lopez.

"I had to stop because it got even worse where you couldn't really see very much and traffic was stopping," said Lopez.

In Madera, thunderstorms brought pouring rain in the afternoon, creating small puddles in yards, and soaking plants.

An ABC30 Insider captured lightning streaking above rooftops from heavy dark clouds.

The heavy storms also soaked backyards in Northwest Fresno.

The drenching still came as a welcome to a parched valley after a drier winter.

"I was kind of nervous because I know my dad's a farmer, so I know he depends a lot on water," said Lopez.

In Coarsegold, Donna Miller said her pal Itty Bitty enjoyed catching fresh snow in the afternoon.

Breaks in the storms brought welcome rainbows.

Before night rain fell once again.

For a moment, clear skies shone bright over Bass Lake, highlighting the fresh snow coating the shore.

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