At least two funnel clouds were spotted in Riverside County on Thursday evening, with one apparently touching down near Moreno Valley.

Shortly before 5 p.m., a funnel cloud touched down near March Air Reserve Base; the storm then moved toward the Lake Elsinore area.

Moreno Valley resident Michael Ritter took the photo to the right, and the others below, from his back yard.

At 5:39 p.m. Thursday, trained weather spotters reported a funnel cloud over Interstate 15 near Lake Elsinore and moving west at 8 mph.

The Moreno Valley twisters are believed to have tipped over a big rig on the northbound Interstate 215 in Perris and derailed a number of boxcars from railroad tracks on the other side of the freeway. The Jaws of Life had to be used to extricate the injured truck driver.

A flash-flood warning was extended until 7:45 p.m. for Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

At 6:12 p.m., the National Weather Service reported up to 2 feet of water on Grand Terrace roadways.

Earlier in the day, snow was reported in the local mountains, and hail in Chino Hills and Murrieta.

Unsettled weather is expected through Saturday.

If you spot a funnel cloud, take cover in the interior of your home or, preferably, a basement. Information on tornado safety from the National Weather Service appears at the bottom of this page.

Watch InstantRiverside.com for updates.

– posted at 5:26 p.m. by Cathy Maestri; most recent update at 11:07 p.m.

Tornado precautions from the National Weather Service:

DO NOT USE HIGHWAY OVERPASSES FOR SHELTER. OVERPASSES DO NOT PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM TORNADIC WINDS. VEHICLES STOPPED UNDER BRIDGES BLOCK TRAFFIC AND PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING OUT OF THE STORM`S PATH AND TO SHELTER. IF YOU CANNOT DRIVE AWAY FROM THE TORNADO…GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE AND LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AS A LAST RESORT. IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES…EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE…LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE…SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES…EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE…LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

Thursday, May 22, 2008