United States: As per the latest reports, an unusually cold weather system developed from the Gulf of Alaska along the West Coast on Saturday, interrupting the natural summer course.
Shocking enough, it also brought snow to the mountains of California and the Pacific Northwest, leading to the closure of a highway running through a national park.
More about the news
According to the National Weather Service, parts of Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park in California have been shut when almost three inches of snow fell overnight.
Based on the photos shared by the agency showed a high-elevation blanket of white on Mount Rainier in Washington, accompanied by a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, a lookout point southeast of Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada.
Unexpected snowfall – Experts
As per Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich, it was “definitely unexpected” to see snow at Minaret Vista in August.
He said, “It’s not every day you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the middle of summer,” as the New York Post reported.
“It made for a day I won’t soon forget and a unique reminder of why I love serving in this area. It’s just one of those moments that makes working up here so special,” he continued.
Along with unusual snowfall, record rainfall was also recorded through Redding, Red Bluff, and Stockton in the Northern part of California on Saturday, as the weather service reported.
It also added about rain showers south of Lake Oroville, which were expected to continue till the evening.
According to the forecasters, a dusting of snow would fall overnight on the crest of the Sierra Nevada around Tioga Pass, mentioned the weather service, which is the first time since 2003.
The reports also suggest that Tioga Pass rises to more than 9,900 feet and is observed as the eastern entryway to Yosemite.
Moreover, as the ski season would have initiated several months away, the hint of winter was welcomed by several resorts, as the New York Post reported.
As per a statement by a resort, “It’s a cool and blustery August day here at Palisades Tahoe, as a storm that could bring our first snowfall of the season moves in this afternoon!”
What more are the weather centers stating?
According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, the “anomalous cool conditions” would spread over much of the western US by Sunday morning.
Moreover, from Friday morning through Saturday morning, warnings were also issued for a flash flood watch for the burn scar of California’s largest wildfire so far this year.
