Snow falls somewhere in the Bay Area most winters, but seeing it at sea level is a once-in-a-generation event. The highest peaks, such as Mount Hamilton and Mount Diablo, see snow in many winters. The East Bay hills above about 1,500 feet get a dusting only every several years. San Francisco last recorded measurable snow at sea level in February 1976. When snow does appear, even a dusting on the hilltops or a few flakes downtown, Bay Area residents react with something close to wonder. Every occurrence makes the news, and the conditions needed to produce it say a lot about the limits of the region's climate.
Why Snow Is Rare in the Bay Area
Snow in the Bay Area needs two things at once, air cold enough near the ground and moisture to fall. The region's ocean climate usually supplies one or the other, but rarely both. Winter storms bring moisture from the Pacific, but that air is usually too warm for snow at sea level, even in January. Very cold air can push temperatures below freezing on clear nights, but that air tends to be dry. Cold and wet at the same time is uncommon.
Low-elevation snow usually comes from a cold storm that drops south from the Gulf of Alaska rather than in from the warmer Pacific to the west. These storms carry a pool of very cold air high overhead and bring showers that can fall as snow down to 1,000 or 2,000 feet, and occasionally lower. The colder the air aloft and the heavier the showers, the lower the snow can reach. Even then, the warm ocean and bay usually keep the lowlands just above freezing, so most of the snow sticks only on the hills.
Notable Bay Area Snow Events
The most famous recent snowfall in San Francisco came on February 5, 1976, the last time the city recorded measurable snow at its official weather station. Parts of the city got up to about half an inch, and photos show snow on the streets of the Sunset and Richmond districts. It lasted only a few hours before rising temperatures turned it back to rain.
In late February 2023, a cold winter storm brought some of the most widespread low-elevation snow in decades. It whitened Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo and the Santa Cruz Mountains, and snow reached parts of the hills above Oakland and Berkeley. In February 2019, another cold storm dusted Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton at the same time. A February 2011 storm also brought snow to the hills and a few flakes to parts of San Francisco before warming turned it to rain.
Where to See Snow in the Bay Area
Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton are the most reliable places in the Bay Area to see snow. Their summits, at 3,849 and about 4,200 feet, are high enough to get snow during cold storms that bring only rain below. Mount Diablo's summit gets a dusting in many winters, and heavier snow every few years. When it is white, the peak is visible from much of the region, a striking sight for residents who know it mostly as a hot, dry summer landmark.
Mount Tamalpais in Marin, at 2,574 feet, also gets occasional snow, though less often than Diablo because the ocean keeps it a little warmer. The highest ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains along Skyline Boulevard see snow every few years. Bay Area snow never lasts long, because temperatures usually rise within a day, and the snow often melts before most people can get to it. When snow is in the forecast, the best plan is to go look right away, because it may be gone by afternoon.
