Winter weather in spring brings hail, thunderstorms to Bay Area

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Unusually cold April weather brought thunderstorms, hail and snow to the Bay Area on Monday morning. According to the National Weather Service, several locations received small hail including San Jose, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Oakland and many cities in Santa Clara County.

VIDEO: Oakland Hills hit by sudden hail storm

Franco Perez has lived in his Redwood Road home for 14 years, but has never seen something as sudden and powerful as Monday morning's hail storm in the Oakland Hills.

The heavy hail started falling around 7:30 a.m., surrounding Redwood Road and Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland Hills. Some East Bay roadways were coated with hail at about 9:30 a.m. and drivers said it felt like the Sierra as they described slipping and sliding in the Oakland Hills.

VIDEO: 'Hail day' at Oakland high school prevents students, teachers from attending

Skyline High School students reveled in the closest thing to a snow day they're likely to experience. Heavy hail covered the ground and shut down the steep roadways to the school.

Some residents tweeted pictures of kids sledding down the street while others described the hail as "blizzard like".

Oakland Public Works crews said this is the first time they've ever been called to clear hail and drop sand. When they arrived on Redwood Road, the conditions were treacherous.

VIDEO: Hail looks like snow in East Bay

Unusually cold April weather brought thunderstorms, hail and snow to the Bay Area on Monday morning. Here's a look at some of the best photos and videos.

AC Transit buses drive this route to take students to Skyline High School. The hail on the steep hill made it impossible for them to make it.

We encountered students stuck at the Safeway at the bottom of the hill after their bus lost traction and started sliding down the hill.

VIDEO: Hail surprises residents in Oakland

It looked an awful lot like the Sierra in the East Bay. And drivers say that's also what it felt like as they described slipping and sliding in the Oakland Hills.

"It was scary at first because I didn't know if we had traction or not and we just kept sliding, but we stopped eventually," said sophomore Ian Einwiller.

Other Oakland residents said it was part scary, part fascinating, to see hail like this in the Bay Area.

PHOTOS: Hail storm turns parts of Bay Area into winter wonderland

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Hail fell so thickly it looked like snow in Alameda, Calif. on Monday, April 16, 2018.

Photo submitted to KGO-TV by @mateoscully/Twitter

"It was coming down hard so I had to check my car twice it was everywhere," said resident Nikysha Parker. "Hope it doesn't break my windshield, it was coming down hard."

Several accidents were reported as a result of the unusual weather. Police requested drivers slow down and use caution. They also added that residents should wait at home until the roads cleared up due to icy conditions.

VIDEO: Watch your AccuWeather forecast

The Oakland Unified School District allowed students to arrive late because of the weather.

Monday's storm ranks 1 on the ABC7 Storm Impact Scale.

It snowed on Mount Hamilton and the Diablo Range, and a weather service spokesman said any peaks that are above 3,000 feet could see more snow on Monday.

The weather service issued an advisory for Santa Cruz County Monday morning reporting heavy showers and possible "dime sized" hail. They warned residents of lightning and said the storm might intensify.

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Bay City News contributed to this report.