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Snow in Sacramento? It happens, and here are the photos to prove it

Snow falls in downtown Sacramento on Feb. 5, 1976. Two inches of snow was recorded on that day at Sacramento Executive Airport, the highest amount since 1942.
Snow falls in downtown Sacramento on Feb. 5, 1976. Two inches of snow was recorded on that day at Sacramento Executive Airport, the highest amount since 1942. Harlin Smith Sacramento Bee file

If you remember the last time it snowed — actually snowed — in Sacramento, you’ve been here for a while.

In a phone interview with The Bee Wednesday, hours before possible flurries, meteorologist Courtney Carpenter with the National Weather Service said the last measurable snow was recorded Feb. 5, 1976.

Snow is possible in the capital city — it’s just rare.

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Up to 2 inches of snow fell at the Sacramento Executive Airport in 1976. We saw traces of snow again about 14 years ago in 2009. The record was set in 1888 when 3.5 inches fell across the area, according to previous Bee reporting.

It has to be really cold for snow to fall, around 30 degrees, meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley with the weather service told The Bee in a February interview.

The weather just doesn’t typically get that cold here.

Here are photos from The Bee’s archive that prove it has, indeed, snowed in Sacramento before:

A Sacramento resident tries to get some protection from the weather as snow falls amid downtown Sacramento palm trees on Feb. 5, 1976.
A Sacramento resident tries to get some protection from the weather as snow falls amid downtown Sacramento palm trees on Feb. 5, 1976. Harlin Smith Sacramento Bee file
Snow falls along Highway 160 in Hood on Feb. 5, 1976.
Snow falls along Highway 160 in Hood on Feb. 5, 1976. Skip Shuman Sacramento Bee file
Dustin Marr sweeps accumulated snow from his car in Locke on Feb. 5, 1976.
Dustin Marr sweeps accumulated snow from his car in Locke on Feb. 5, 1976. Skip Shuman Sacramento Bee file
Land Park golf pro Don Oreb braves the snowy weather to give a putting lesson to 4-year-old Rickey Gregson on Feb. 5, 1976, while Chibi – despite the doggie jacket – has second thoughts about wandering around the park in the snow.
Land Park golf pro Don Oreb braves the snowy weather to give a putting lesson to 4-year-old Rickey Gregson on Feb. 5, 1976, while Chibi – despite the doggie jacket – has second thoughts about wandering around the park in the snow. Leo Neibaur Sacramento Bee file
Inge Gough, Maggie Gomez and Sherry McAtee enjoy a battle during the snow on Feb. 5, 1976, in Sacramento.
Inge Gough, Maggie Gomez and Sherry McAtee enjoy a battle during the snow on Feb. 5, 1976, in Sacramento. Erhardt Krause Sacramento Bee file

This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

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Brianna Taylor
The Sacramento Bee
Brianna Taylor was a reporter for The Sacramento Bee.
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