YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California — The West Coast summer was disrupted by an unusually cold system from the Gulf of Alaska that moved through the Pacific Northwest to Northern California.
According to the National Weather Service, snow fell on Washington state’s towering Mount Rainier, and in California, a light snowfall is possible on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada, especially around Tioga Pass and the higher elevations of Yosemite National Park.
According to meteorologists, no snow has fallen in August at those locations since 2003.
Tioga Pass rises to over 9,900 feet (3,017 meters) and serves as the eastern gateway to Yosemite. But it is usually closed for much of the year by winter snow that takes a month or two to clear.
“While this snow won’t last long, roads near Tioga Pass could be slick and campers and hikers should prepare for winter conditions,” the weather service wrote.
Although the ski season is still a few months away, the resorts welcomed the foretaste of winter with open arms.
“It’s a cool and breezy August day here in Palisades Tahoe as a storm arrives this afternoon that could bring our first snowfall of the season!” the resort said in a social media post Friday.
According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, “anomalous cool conditions” will spread across much of the western U.S. Sunday morning.
Despite the expected precipitation, meteorologists also warned of the risk of fire due to the strong winds associated with the passage of the cold front.
At the same time, a flash flood warning was issued due to the burn caused by California’s largest wildfire so far this year, which burned from Friday morning into Saturday morning.
The Park Fire raged near the Central Valley city of Chico in late July, burning more than 680 square miles (1,748 square kilometers) before spreading across the western slope of the Sierra.
The fire became the fourth largest ever in California, but has recently been significantly contained. Islands of vegetation continue to burn within the existing perimeter, but evacuation orders have been lifted.
California’s wildfire season began fiercely amid extreme heat in July, fueled by dried-out vegetation that grew during successive wet years. Fire activity has calmed down relatively recently.
According to forecasts, summer heat will return quickly once the cold front moves out.