Snow Falls Across California Mountains In Rare, Oddly Cold Spring Storm

A rare and unusually cold spring storm brought snow to the peaks across the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday (April 4). The sight of snow atop Marin County's Mount Tamalpais was captured in a webcam image, revealing a winter wonderland in the middle of spring.

According to SF Gate , the snowfall was reported from various locations across the Santa Cruz Mountains, with the California Highway Patrol warning of slippery road conditions, particularly on Highway 35. A video posted on X showed snow falling heavily in Bonny Doon, a community nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

"Snowing down to 1,500 feet in the Bay Area in April is nothing short of amazing," said Colin McCarthy , a UC Davis student who runs the US Stormwatch social media account.

Reports also came in of snow on Mount Diablo in the East Bay and Mount Hamilton in the South Bay. "The snow levels right now are 2,500 to 3,000 feet," said Crystal Oudit , a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. "This is the first storm this season that we’re forecasting snow levels this low."

The snow arrived as a cold front from the Gulf of Alaska descended on California , bringing with it a polar air mass and unseasonably chilly temperatures. Rain and hail were also forecast for the Bay Area on Thursday, with "large amounts of small hail" expected to fall, according to Nicole Sarment, another forecaster with the weather service.

Afternoon highs across the Bay Area on Thursday were expected to be in the high 40s to low 50s, but temperatures were predicted to be cooler at higher elevations. Friday morning is forecast to see the coldest temperatures of the week, with many inland locations dropping into the 30s.

"This is really a cold pool of air sitting off our coast," said Jan Null , a forecaster with Golden Gate Weather Services. "You look at the anomalies for this time of year, and it’s like close to record-breaking."

Scattered showers are possible on Friday morning (April 5) and afternoon, with conditions expected to dry up by Friday evening.