Hail surprises much of the East Bay

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- East Bay residents got quite a thrill watching the hail come down for as long as it did. People in Walnut Creek say the hail lasted for several minutes, about the longest they've ever experienced and they say the kids especially loved it.

"They thought it was amazing," said Sarah Johansen of Walnut Creek. "They're like, 'It's raining ice! It's raining ice!' And they kind of thought it was going to be snow."

RELATED: Storm dumps fresh snow above South Bay

The hail came down in much of the East Bay from Oakland to Hayward. In some areas, there was enough left on the ground for people to pick up and take a closer look.

"All of a sudden it just started dropping from the sky and I think we were thinking maybe it was going to start to snow for a minute there because it seemed really cold," said Denise Blake of Walnut Creek.

So cold in fact that whatever came down in Clayton, did seem more like snow than hail.

RELATED: Hail falls so thickly in Sacramento it looks like snow

Either way, the day's wintry mix of surprises gave Bay Area residents a day they'll remember.

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