Snow in the Bay Area is always a treat, and on Sunday some of the higher-elevation areas circling the bay got a rare dusting.
Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County and Mount Hamilton, just east of San Jose, displayed white caps on Sunday as temperatures started in the low to mid-40s after sunrise and reached only into the low to mid-50s in most areas. Those chilly temperatures combined with scattered showers to cause hail in several areas too.
But snow stole the show and was even sticking in areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains on Sunday evening. In one location at Highway 9 and Skyline Boulevard, where the elevation is about 2,000 feet, patches of snow marked the ground from early afternoon precipitation, and snow began to fall again in the early evening.
A motorcyclist who took a break from the chilly temperatures on the road to see the snow was a bit stunned that temperatures were cold enough to make the wintry powder stick.
"I didn't see any ice or snow till I got here and saw snow on the side of the mountain. I thought, 'Oh my god, it's that cold,'" said Louis Treesh, who promptly hopped on his bike and headed back home to Sunnyvale.
Mount Diablo, which is about 3,800 feet, saw a good amount of snow as well, and Mount Tam, which is just above 2,500 feet, received a significant dusting.
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Mount Hamilton, the tallest peak in the Bay Area at nearly 4,400 feet, was blanketed with snow.
Despite temperatures dipping into the low 30s Sunday night, most people welcomed the change of scenery.
"I think that's wonderful; I love to see snow," said Michael Pliner, of Saratoga.
The combination of near-freezing temeratures and scattered showers offer the potential for more snow and possible sleet at lower elevations around the region on Monday morning, according to forecasters.
