Snow as low as 1,300 feet in Sonoma County, 1 inch on Skyline Blvd.
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@ofmice and maria shared photos of the snowfall on top of Mount Diablo on Sunday, Jan 24, 2021.Instagram / @ofmice and maria
When a wet storm swept into the Bay Area on Tuesday night, chilly air was trapped over the region, creating ideal conditions for low-elevation snow.
Snow was reported from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the North Bay at elevations as low as 2,500 feet, and in some cases, even down to 1,300 feet in Sonoma County.
The snow was a surprise at the start of a storm event that s slated to be the biggest of the season so far, but the snowflakes will have minimal impact compared to the the forecast that s expect to unfold in the coming hours, including high winds and heavy rainfall amounts, according to the National Weather Service.
First atmospheric river of the season forecast to soak San Francisco Bay Area
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People shield themselves from a rainfall in Chinatown in Oakland, California on Jan. 4, 2021. A cold front passing through the San Francisco Bay Area included high winds and brief periods of intense rainfall.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The biggest storm of the season so far is expected to soak the San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday into Thursday, with rainfall amounts in urban areas ranging from two to four inches.
Meteorologists are calling the system an atmospheric river, a wet storm pulling a long plume of water vapor in the atmosphere 250 to 375 miles wide on average and often referred to as a river in the sky. On the West Coast, atmospheric rivers most often originate in the South Pacific, and as they travel from the tropics across the ocean, they collect incredible amounts of moisture.
Big fat snow flakes : Bay Area gets its first dusting of the season
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FILE - Drone photo of snow on Mount Hamilton southeast of San Jose on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019.Photo by Dan Koopman
National Weather Service technicians working on the radar on top of Mount Umunhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains reported snow Friday afternoon. Big fat snow flakes, the weather service posted on Twitter. Melting on the ground though.
FILE - People enjoying the snow on Mount Tamalpais on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019.Photo by Brian Cary
With a flurry of storms taking aim at the San Francisco Bay Area, snow is in the forecast in coming days with light dustings expected on the highest peaks.
3 storms poised to pummel the San Francisco Bay Area
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People walk along Pier 14 with the Bay Bridge in the background in San Francisco, California during a steady rainfall. The first significant rainstorm of the season hit the San Francisco Bay Area on Nov. 17, 2020.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The storm door is wide open in the San Francisco Bay Area with three systems sweeping the region over the next week, bringing a wintry mix of chilly temperatures, heavy rain, isolated thunderstorms, small hail, high-elevation snow and the first atmospheric river of the season.
The first storm, the weakest of the three, arrived Thursday night and delivered light rain across the region overnight and more showers are on the way Friday morning and afternoon. A cold front associated with the storm will blast the region late this morning, unleashing instability in the atmosphere and delivering a 10% chance of isolated thunderstorms, heavier rain, small hail and brief bursts of hi