Enjoying the cool weather, including snow at Shaver Lake? Here’s how long it projects to last

It was snowing at Shaver Lake and nearby mountain communities Friday after temperatures dropped by more than 30 degrees in a mere three days.

From a high of 72 degrees on Tuesday to 41 degrees on Friday, Shaver Lake ended up receiving about an inch of snow thanks to a cool, low pressure system that’s centered over Nevada, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

In addition, back down in the Valley, the Fresno area has been enjoying highs in the low 70s each of the past two days with forecasts projecting no higher than 83 degrees through the weekend.

That’s about 10-15 degrees below normal temperatures for mid May, according to Dan Harty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

“Normally, if you’re getting snow this time of year, it’s only in the higher elevations (7,000-plus feet) and not down in the 5,000 feet,” Harty said. “It’s certainly cooler all around. But it’s not a rare event for temperatures to be where they’re currently at in May.”

Despite the unexpected snow fall, Harty said it would not be nearly enough to significantly help with the Valley’s ongoing drought issues. Isolated thunderstorms also were projected to occur west of Mendota.

“Any little bit helps, but it’s not going to put much of a dent,” Harty said. “It’s not generating enough significant snow pack.”

Like the snow at Shaver, the cooler weather around the Valley isn’t expected to last long.

By Monday, the Fresno area is expected to reach 90 degrees.

And though most of the daily highs for the last full way of May are projected to be in the high 80s, the Fresno area could be hitting 100 degrees by the first week of June.

“No triple digits yet,” Harty said. “But it could be coming.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 6:38 PM.