“August snow has not occurred in these locations for at least 20 years.” Photo: Jeremy Bishop//Unsplash
Don’t break out the parkas or rush to get your gear ready or anything. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in California, parts of the Sierra Nevada could see snowfall over the weekend. The highest probability to see snow is in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Now, it’s not like the NWS sounded the alarm on blizzard conditions and resorts aren’t rushing to get their lifts fired up, but forecasters from the Hanford, California office pointed out this weekend’s weather could be a once-in-a-generation occurrence.
“An unusually, early, cold storm, even for the High Sierra above 8000 feet. August snow has not occurred in these locations for at least 20 years,” NWS Hanford posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Although these are light amounts, motorists and hikers should be aware of this forecast.”
An unusually, early, cold storm, even for the High Sierra above 8000 feet. August snow has not occurred in these locations for at least 20 years. Although these are light amounts, motorists and hikers should be aware of this forecast. #CAwx #Yosemite #AugustSnow pic.twitter.com/7VyYOj5EMH
— NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) August 20, 2024
The look out for light snow storms begins with a 30 percent chance of precipitation starting Friday when snowfall is possible at elevations above 8,200 feet in Tahoe. The snow level could drop to 8,000 feet by the following morning and then rise more than 1,000 feet by the evening. In Truckee, for example, temps are expected to reach 29 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Snowfall isn’t typically on the radar for California’s highest elevations until October but this forecast comes while much of the state is experiencing lower-than-average temperatures for this part of August. According to one NWS meteorologist, California will be around 10 degrees cooler (Fahrenheit) than average and some of the coolest parts of the state will dip around 15 degrees lower than average.
