Does it ever snow in Sacramento? These pictures show city as a winter wonderland
By Sarah Linn
Does it ever snow in Sacramento?
Although snowflakes are a rare sight in the capital city, snowfall is possible — and The Sacramento Bee has the pictures to prove it.
The National Weather Service has records of snowfall in Sacramento as early as January 1879, when a half-inch of snow fell in the city.
That’s not the only time California’s capital has been transformed into a winter wonderland.
Sacramento received a whopping 3 inches of snow on Jan. 5, 1888, and measured 2.5 more inches of fluffy, white flakes in a New Year’s Day flurry on Jan. 1, 1916, according to weather service records.
In 1942, a storm dropped 2 inches of snow on Sacramento, archival photos from The Bee show.
The capital city also saw significant snowfall on Feb. 5, 1976, when 2 inches of snow blanketed Sacramento Executive Airport.
Traces of snow were most recently spotted in Sacramento on Dec. 7, 2009, according to the weather service.
“Sacramento doesn’t typically get cold enough to see snow,” National Weather Service meteorologist Dakari Anderson told The Bee, noting that snowfall typically melts as it reaches the ground. “It’s a pretty rare event for Sacramento.”
Here are some fun, frosty snow photos from The Bee’s archives:
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
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
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
Dustin Marr sweeps accumulated snow from his car in Locke on Feb. 5, 1976. Skip Shuman Sacramento Bee file
Inge Gough, Maggie Gomez and Sherry McAtee enjoy a battle during the snow on Feb. 5, 1976, in Sacramento. Erhardt Krause Sacramento Bee file
Henri Lappi skis at the state Capitol on March 16, 1942. The storm dropped 2 inches of snow on Sacramento. Sacramento Bee file
The exterior of Jim-Denny’s Hamburgers hasn’t changed much over the years, as this photograph taken after a snowfall in 1940s shows. Sacramento Bee file
Stan Livermon and Charles Brown put the finishing touches on their snowman, February 5, 1976 Erhardt Krause Sacramento Bee file
Sonny Valine wonders if it would be worth it to play a round at Land Park on February 5, 1976. He decided against it because his golf balls were the same color as the fairways. Leo Neibaur Sacramento Bee file
Marlyn Crowe decorates her creation on Feb. 5, 1976 in Sacramento. Ehrhardt Krause Sacramento Bee file
