Weather
Snow expected across the higher peaks of the Sierra’s. Source: maps.weatherbell.com
California August snow is rare enough to make this forecast stand out, even if accumulations stay confined to the highest Sierra terrain. The main story is the strength of the late-summer cold front and how quickly temperatures fall above 9,000 feet. For hikers, climbers, and anyone traveling high passes, the practical concern is a sudden shift from summer conditions to freezing nights, slick surfaces, and pockets of early snow. SnowBrains will keep tracking the setup in our weather coverage.
Forecast Summary
Forecast written on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 1 a.m. MST
An unseasonably strong cold front will travel down the west coast this week, making landfall over Northern California on Friday. Temperatures will drop by 10-15 degrees, with below-freezing temperatures expected above 9,000ft on Friday night and Saturday night.
With these colder temperatures in place, snow levels will drop down as low as 7,000ft north of Lake Tahoe, and 8,000ft south of Lake Tahoe. That is low enough for snow to fall on the slopes at several resorts, namely Mammoth, Kirkwood, Heavenly, and Palisades.
Temperatures may be as low as 20 degrees below normal on Saturday. Source: maps.weatherbell.com
The only factor limiting snowfall is the lack of moisture associated with this system. We only expect some scattered rain/snow showers to be in the area between Friday morning and midday Saturday, with the greatest chances for snow occurring Friday night/Saturday morning.
If even a dusting of snow falls on the highest peaks of the Sierra’s, which appears very likely, this could still end a 20+ year streak of no snow in August, according to the NWS Hanford.
