Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season on Sunday
TRUCKEE -- A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay Area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.
The wet weather system had mostly moved out of the state by Sunday morning but officials warned that roads would remain slick after around two feet of snow fell in some areas of the Sierra.
"Did anyone have the snowiest day of the 2023/2024 season being in May on their winter bingo card?" the University of California, Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab asked on the social platform X.
5/5/24 9:35am Update:
— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) May 5, 2024
Did anyone have the snowiest day of the 2023/2024 season being in May on their winter bingo card?
This storm dropped 26.4" (67 cm) in the last day, making May 5th the snowiest day of the season at the lab. It beat 2nd place (March 3rd) by 2.6" (6.5 cm)! pic.twitter.com/iEg01CyabX
The 26.4 inches of snowfall on Sunday beat the second snowiest day of the season — March 3 — by 2.6 inches, according to the lab.
Treacherous driving conditions on Saturday forced the closure of several highways near Lake Tahoe, including Interstate 80 over the Donner Summit.
Flood advisories were issued for parts of the Bay Area, where up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain fell while temperatures dipped into the low 40s, the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts reaching 40 mph were reported Saturday near San Francisco.
The storm brought light rain and gusty winds to Southern California.
Drier and warmer conditions were expected throughout the week.