
Sierra Nevada Gets Surprise May Snowstorm, Breaking Seasonal Record
May 6, 2024 World
Truckee, CA - A powerful but brief spring storm surprised residents of the Sierra Nevada mountains this weekend, dumping record-breaking snowfall and causing travel disruptions.
The storm system, which drenched the San Francisco Bay Area with up to an inch of rain and brought gusty winds, reached the Sierra Nevada on Sunday, blanketing the region with an impressive 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snow. This single day snowfall surpassed the previous seasonal high of 23.8 inches (60 centimeters) recorded on March 3rd, according to the University of California, Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab.
"Unseasonably heavy snowfall created treacherous driving conditions," officials warned. Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and several other highways near Lake Tahoe were closed due to hazardous road conditions.
The National Weather Service issued flood advisories for parts of the Bay Area, where temperatures dipped into the low 40s Fahrenheit (around 5 degrees Celsius) alongside the heavy rain. Wind gusts reached 40 mph (64 kph) near San Francisco on Saturday.
Southern California experienced lighter impacts from the storm, with only light rain and gusty winds reported.
Sunshine and warmer temperatures are expected to return throughout the week.