California Hit by Snow and Frost As Record Lows Recorded

California has experienced rare snowfall and record low temperatures in August, leaving the Sierra Nevada region in a winter-like state.
A weather anomaly brought snowfall to areas typically known for their summer warmth. The National Weather Service (NWS) Reno, Nevada, reported a “winter-like cold front” that moved in from the Pacific, bringing rain and even snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe region.
On Saturday, snow was spotted in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Mammoth, close to the Nevada border and around 250 miles east of San Francisco. Local resident @cartermurphy218 posted on X, formerly Twitter: “August 24th and we are officially on the board for snow!”
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The Madera County Sheriff’s Office posted another video of the snowfall on Facebook and warned that while snowfall is unusual this time of year, it underscores the unpredictable nature of the Sierra Nevada.
Snow was recorded at the summit of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of over 11,000 feet.
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Officials at Mammoth Mountain posted on Instagram about the “dusting of new snow on the mid and upper-mountain.”
Other areas, including Stanislaus National Forest, saw accumulations of 0.15 inches of snow, creating a brief winter wonderland.
The NWS issued alerts for hikers and campers, urging them to prepare for winter conditions in the area.
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The cold front brought more than just snow—it triggered record-breaking low temperatures. NWS Reno reported a high of only 57 degrees Fahrenheit at Reno-Tahoe Airport, breaking the all-time record for the coldest August high, which had stood at 58 degrees since 1920.
Amid these freezing temperatures, NWS Reno issued warnings about potential hard freezes for the coming days. The agency highlighted the risk of sub-freezing temperatures in many parts of the Sierra Nevada.
Locations like Mammoth and Truckee Tahoe had a near-certain probability of dropping below 32 degrees, with a 100 percent chance of freezing temperatures on Sunday morning and high likelihoods persisting into Monday .
Despite the snowy scenes, California experienced its hottest July on record, where it recorded temperatures seven degrees warmer than the average, and 2 degrees above the previous hottest month, with Death Valley experiencing an average temperature of 108.5 degrees, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
These record-breaking California temperatures were triggered by an extreme heatwave lasting for much of the month. One person reportedly died in Death Valley due to the extreme heat, with another needing to be rescued after receiving second-degree burns from the hot ground, the NPS said. Heat-related complications cause over 1,000 deaths per year across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.