Screengrab: @scottgaffski
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a forecast last week that August snow could come to the Sierra Nevada range for the first time in 20 years. While the storm itself wasn’t touted as some early kickoff to a new season, the timing and rarity of a few August flakes was noteworthy.
“An unusually, early, cold storm, even for the High Sierra above 8,000 feet. August snow has not occurred in these locations for at least 20 years,” NWS Hanford posted on X. “Although these are light amounts, motorists and hikers should be aware of this forecast.”
Several summit cams along West Coast resorts showed proof of some light dusting here and there, including places like California’s Northstar and a few shots from Palisades Tahoe that made the storm seem a little more impressive. But filmmaker Scott Gaffney’s attempt to document the Sunday snowfall showed some of the most intense conditions.
Gaffney had woken up Sunday morning planning to “meet the first storm of winter.” After checking the Palisades Tahoe webcam and seeing a few flakes cross the screen, he decided to get out and hike, but early on in the outing he felt like the storm was going to be a dud. Then, the “real storm” started to move in as Gaffney neared the summit.
“I climbed up the secret ladder to the top of the Palisades where it was full-on winter, took a bunch of shots, looked at lines and then descended over to Siberia and walked back under the Sades to Headwall. Then it really started hammering. I didn’t want to leave,” he wrote after his hike.
Some of Gaffney’s shots posted on social media do show that Tahoe’s August storm resembled “full-on winter” after all.
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