Snow in San Diego or San Francisco?

[JenyEliza]

One of my co-workers said there is SNOW in San Diego or San Francisco today and that schools are closed, etc. She heard it on the radio, but I haven't found anything on the web regarding this.

Anyone know about this?

Thanks,

Jeny

[therock1811]

I got this off of http://www.10news.com/weather/3831913/detail.html:

A few inches of snow is expected at local mountains at elevations of 8,000 feet or higher Tuesday, and at elevations of 6,000 feet or higher Wednesday, NWS forecaster Stan Wasowski said.

[JenyEliza]

Thanks!! I appreciate your help.

Looks like this is gonna be a rough one for So. Cal.

Jeny

[Wnghs2007]

That would be amazing if there was snow in the city and not the mountains. That would be like what the 1st time ever or something like that

[Anonymous]

There is a monster low off the West Coast. Is that behemoth gonna move inland?


Because if it does there's gonna be heck to pay.

[Wnghs2007]

There is a monster low off the West Coast. Is that behemoth gonna move inland?


Because if it does there's gonna be heck to pay.

I dont know we will have to see. I would wonder what would happen if it did.

[aveosmth]

Well, today it did everything but snow.....lots of rain and wind. This was definitely a monster storm for us here in Southern California.

The snow level was in the 7-8K foot level. That is very, very, far away from San Fran or Los Angeles. San Francisco is about 20 ft above & here in L.A. we are about 400 ft above sea level.

It snows(flurries no accumulation) in San Francisco once every 20 yrs or so.....and there has been no measurable snow in L.A. since 1957. San Diego has never seen snow....at least any measurable snow....

We have had a few flakes in the valleys outside of Los Angeles as recent as 2001 though....and every winter I hope for a repeat of the storm of 1949 in Los Angeles. Burbank (NBC Studios) had 8 inches of snow, and there was 2 inches in Downtown L.A.....that would be something really special if that were to ever happen again....but its probably a good thing if it doesn't...it would be a major catastrophe!!!!

Aveo

[HalloweenGale]

that behomoth is the remnant low of MAON

[Aslkahuna]

That January 1949 storm was the one that brought the only known snowfall to San Diego (a Trace) and one of two trace occurrences in Yuma AZ. January 1949 is still on record as the coldest month ever in the western states west of the Rockies and Las Vegas still knows it as the month they got 17 inches of snow.

Steve

[aveosmth]

I have tried (mostly in vain) to get details on that January 1949 storm....Its been fairly easy to get snow totals & stuff like that, but as far as barometric conditions & stuff like that...its been hard to get....would love to see a repeat of that...but it would be catastrophic here in SoCal.

[Aslkahuna]

There was an article back in the 1970's in Weatherwise about snow in Las Vegas that discussed the 1949 storm. It seems that it was the typical low level snow pattern in CA where a deep cold storm out of the GOA dug down the CA coast and cutoff just off the SoCA coast as we had a rollover ridge come in to the north. It pulled very cold air out of the interior over OR/NoCA which wrapped back in off the ocean where it had picked up moisture back into SoCA where it resulted in snow because of the very cold air aloft. H5 temperatures were close to the -40C range. As the low moved inland, heavy snows developed over AZ and the Najavo Nation where an airlift of food supplies and livestock feed was needed to stave off starvation. Record low temperatures occurred in SE AZ with a -6F reading in the San Pedro Valley (where Sierra Vista is located) which would imply a snow cover there and AZ's all time low of -40F at Hawley Lake. A similar pattern in 1962 resulted in thundersnow in Central CA and the coastal area from north of LAX to close to SFO. Willcox in SE AZ hit -10 that time.

Steve

[aveosmth]

I've always wondered about what kind system would cause snow here in SoCal...that is excellent info!! I always thought it would've been a retrograding cold low coming from the Great Basin or something like that....thats good to know it came from the Gulf of Alaska....thats a much more typical pattern for all of us along the West Coast....it looks like its all about timing...as with all weather situations. Thanks for the great info!!!

[Aslkahuna]

A retrogressing ULL from the Basin can do the same thing though it's best to have the ULL drop southward along the Coast or dig down and cutoff so that the SURFACE Low is inland over NV so that it can pull the cold air to the west while the cold air aloft over SoCA destabilizes the air. That's the type of situation that also favors snow in SFO. The key is the trajectory of the cold air has to swing out from the interior back out over the water where it can pick up moisture and then come back around under cold air and positive vorticity aloft.

Steve