Snow in May: Yosemite looks like a winter wonderland in the middle of spring

“It was surreal.”

As an unseasonal winter storm blanketed Yosemite with snow Sunday, people took to social media to share their awe.

Photos from the Yosemite Conservancy’s webcam show El Capitan shrouded in fog and a dusting of snow atop Half Dome. Videos and photos posted to social media show thick snowflakes coming down and conditions that look out of place for late spring.

“Sometimes Mother Nature has a plan of her own. Like snowmen in May in your hiking vacation in Yosemite!” said one Instagram user, who posted a photo of her child making a snowman near Tenaya Lodge.

Other users posted videos of snow falling on dogwood blossoms.

“It was surreal. Yosemite Valley looked more like winter than late spring this afternoon,” said one Twitter user.

The Ansel Adams Gallery posted a slow-motion video of snowflakes drifting in front of the gallery sign.

“What a confusing spring!” the organization wrote.

Snow is typical for April and sometimes falls in May, according to the national park’s website. Though exact snowfall totals for Yosemite aren’t currently available, a National Weather Service forecaster told SFGate that this amount of snow in May is unusual.

Last week, the park geared up for winter weather by closing Glacier Point Road. As of Monday morning, the road is still closed.

Snowstorms in the Sierra throughout the last week have dropped about 1 foot each, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The snowfall was part of a blast of winter weather that hit California over the weekend, causing flooding and hail in Stockton, hail in San Jose and snow in other mountainous areas like Lake Tahoe and Mammoth.

See photos and videos of Yosemite’s wintry weather below.

This story was originally published May 20, 2019 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Snow in May: Yosemite looks like a winter wonderland in the middle of spring."