BOISE -- A violent wind storm moved through the Boise area Friday. The storm produced at least one funnel cloud, uprooted trees, damaged homes, and knocked out power in some communities.
Several eyewitnesses captured the funnel cloud on digital cameras and cell phone video as it moved through Boise around 3 p.m., when the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Ada, Elmore and Boise counties. The warning expired about one hour later.
Trained weather spotters initially reported that the funnel cloud became a tornado when it touched down at Arrowrock Reservoir, 20 miles east of Boise. But the National Weather Service backed away from that report later, saying the funnel cloud came close to the ground but could not confirm touchdown.
The storm, which included multiple lightning strikes, moved southeast through the Treasure Valley at 35 mph.
KTVB viewers sent their visual evidence of the funnel cloud to our newsroom through FirstPerson on KTVB.COM.
What's the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado?
Idaho's Chief Meterologist Rick Lantz explains the difference between the two storm patterns here.
Numerous reports of storm damage, power outages
A KTVB viewer in Garden City told us that trees toppled in the area of Glenwood and Riverside. Another woman told us that a carport in Boise was completely blown away during the storm and landed in her neighbor's yard. Surprise Valley and Columbia Village were two hard-hit areas.
Ada County Sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Dearden says law enforcement received numerous reports of downed trees and power lines. In one instance, a tree fell on a car with several people inside, but fortunately no one was hurt.
The storm moved away from the Boise area Friday evening, but Ada County dispatchers were kept busy as residents surveyed the damage and called for help.
About 1,700 homes in south Boise were without electricity, according to Idaho Power. Crews were working to restore power in the area of Victory and Hubbard. There were also several smaller outages including ones reported in Wilderness Ranch and Idaho City. An official says a lot of these outages were caused by trees falling on power lines.
