YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — An unusually cold weather system from the Gulf of Alaska interrupted summer along the West Coast on Saturday, bringing snow to Washington state's Mount Rainier and a lookout point of California's Sierra Nevada. Photos posted by the National Weather Service and local authorities showed a white-covered peak from Rainier and a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, a lookout point southeast of Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada.
Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich said it was “definitely unexpected” to see snow at Minaret Vista in August. “It's not every day you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the middle of summer,” he said in a statement. “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.” Snow also fell overnight on Mammoth Mountain, a ski destination in California, with the National Weather Service warning hikers and campers to prepare for slick roads. More light snow was possible in California on the crest of the Sierra Nevada, mostly around Tioga Pass and higher elevations of Yosemite National Park, the National Weather Service said.
August snow has not occurred in those locations since 2003, forecasters said. Tioga Pass rises to more than 9,900 feet (3,017 meters) and serves as the eastern entryway to Yosemite. But it is usually closed much of each year by wi.