Winter in August? Unseasonal snow and rain surprise west coast, disrupt travel and festivals



An uncommon chilly climate system swept in from the Gulf of Alaska on Saturday, bringing a uncommon style of winter to the West Coast in the course of August. Snow blanketed the mountains of California and the Pacific Northwest, disrupting journey and making a winter wonderland in surprising locations.
In California, elements of Freeway 89 by way of Lassen Volcanic Nationwide Park had been closed after roughly 3 inches of snow fell in a single day, in keeping with the Nationwide Climate Service.Photographs shared by the company and native authorities confirmed snow-capped peaks, together with a stunning layer of white on Mount Rainier in Washington and a dusting at Minaret Vista, a scenic viewpoint southeast of Yosemite Nationwide Park in California’s Sierra Nevada.
“It’s positively surprising,” mentioned Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Wealthy, who was bowled over by the sight of snow at Minaret Vista in August. “It’s not daily you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the course of summer time. It’s a novel reminder of why I like serving on this space.”
The unseasonable chilly snap additionally impacted Northern Nevada, the place rain fell forward of the annual Burning Man competition, forcing organizers to briefly shut the doorway gate on Saturday. The competition, identified for its short-term metropolis within the desert, was famously became a muddy mess final yr resulting from torrential rains.
As well as, Mammoth Mountain, a well-liked California ski vacation spot, noticed snow in a single day, prompting the Nationwide Climate Service to warn hikers and campers to organize for slick roads. Northern California additionally skilled report rainfall in cities like Redding, Purple Bluff, and Stockton, with showers persevering with south of Lake Oroville.
Tioga Move within the Sierra Nevada, which rises over 9,900 ft and serves as an jap entryway to Yosemite, noticed a uncommon August dusting of snow. Based on forecasters, the final time August snow fell within the space was in 2003.
Whereas the ski season continues to be months away, the early trace of winter was welcomed by resorts. Palisades Tahoe resort famous in a social media put up, “It’s a cool and blustery August day right here, as a storm that might deliver our first snowfall of the season strikes on this afternoon!”
Regardless of the precipitation, the Nationwide Climate Service’s Climate Prediction Heart warned of fireside hazard resulting from gusty winds accompanying the chilly entrance. A flash flood watch was additionally issued for the burn scar of California’s largest wildfire this yr, the Park Fireplace, which has burned over 671 sq. miles because it erupted in late July.
California’s wildfire season started intensely amid excessive July warmth, however hearth exercise has lately slowed. Nonetheless, the transient return of winter climate is anticipated to provide method to summer time warmth as soon as once more because the chilly entrance departs.





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