Snow in Fresno? Maybe a few flakes, but heavy snowfall expected nearby. Here’s the latest
Fresno won’t see significant snowfall on Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed Monday.
Fresno was looking at around a 10% chance of snow due to a series of storm systems passing through the central San Joaquin Valley. It would have been the first snowfall in Fresno since December 1998.
But by Monday morning, Fresno’s first shot at snow in more than two decades had already evaporated.
“We’re not expecting a high-impact snow event across the valley,” said Jeff Barlow, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
“We’re not getting a blizzard,” he said. “Don’t make a run on toilet paper and milk and bread.”
As of early Monday, about 1.5 inches of snow had fallen in the mountains around 2,100 feet, said Barlow. The storm system was expected to end late Monday, but forecasters said snow flurries could land as low as 1,000 feet, but little to no accumulation was expected.
Fresno could see “a couple of (snow)flakes floating around,” he said, but that’s it.
Tuesday is expected to be a clear day.
“It’ll be like one of those days where you can see freshly snow-covered-Sierras.”
Barlow suggested looking east toward the mountains.
Wednesday’s very cold but dry weather system
Another “very cold” weather system is moving through on Wednesday morning. A few inches of snow is expected at around 1,500 feet near foothill communities such as Oakhurst, Auberry, Bootjack and Three Rivers.
But this weather system doesn’t have a lot of moisture with it, said Barlow. This lower precipitation is, in part, why the valley floor won’t see snow.
“In a heavier shower, you might see a little bit of a mix (of snow and rain)” on the valley floor, said Barlow.
Snow levels are expected to reach as low as 800 feet, said Barlow. Fresno has an elevation of around 300 feet.
“If a snowflake survives from 800 to 300 feet, you may see one or two snowflakes fly out of the sky, but as far as accumulating snow, no, it’s not favorable,” said Barlow.
Snowing in the Foothills
For those who want to see snow, “you’re not going to have to drive too far,” said Barlow, who said there would most likely be snow off of Highway 168 in the foothills, where it’s already been snowing.
“We have a winter storm warning in effect already” in the foothills, said Barlow, who added that there are “a lot of reports” of snow around 2,100 feet.
In addition to the foothill area seeing snow, there is “a nine in 10 chance” of twenty-one inches or more of snow in Yosemite Valley, as well as two feet or more of snow in Shaver Lake through Monday evening, according to a Sunday evening Facebook post by the National Weather Service.
Further north in the Sierra, there are reports of ski resorts “buried” under snow.
For anyone planning to drive to see the snow, “always carry chains,” said Barlow.
This story was originally published December 27, 2021 at 12:17 PM.
