For the first time in three decades, snow could accumulate on
the valley floor
Gilroy – Local residents may be seeing white this weekend.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for all Bay Area hills above 1,500 feet today after two inches of snow covered the much of the North Bay hills Friday. Flakes are expected throughout the weekend in Gilroy, bringing local farmers relief from the recent heat wave.
“If you live in Gilroy you won’t have to bring out your shovel, but you might see a flake or two,” said NWS forecaster Bob Benjamin. “But you’re not going to be able to build a snowman.”
The winter storm watch is in effect until this afternoon for the Santa Cruz mountains, the Diablo Range in the East Bay, down to the Pinnacles National Monument in San Benito County. The watch may be upgraded to a winter storm warning as a wetter storm moves into the area Saturday afternoon, which may shower the hillsides at 1,500 feet with up to two inches of snow and areas above 3,000 feet with six inches.
The last time there was measurable snow on the Bay Area valley floor was Feb. 5, 1976.
The storms come in the wake of a record breaking heat streak last week, where Gilroy reached a temperatures close to 80 degrees.
“That’s the nature of winter,” Benjamin said. “It’s that extreme cold air that probably supplied the warm air (before.)”
The cold air to the east built up pressure, giving the area the warm weather last week, is now drifting overhead, bringing the snow. The weather is expected to clear up next week, with temperatures slightly below normal, Benjamin said. “This is still February, we’ve got another couple weeks of winter.”
The cooling comes as a relief to area farmers whose crops were starting to blossom due to the unexpected warm weather. The concern comes when the crops blossom too quickly and are exposed to elements such as frost.
“The warmer it is, the more sun they get, the faster they grow, it’s similar to a shot in the arm,” said owner Pete Aiello of Uesugi Farms. “It might even be a blessing to slow these (strawberries) down a little.”
