Thanks to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, generally low elevation, and favorable weather patterns, the San Francisco Bay Area does not have to busy itself with the harsh winter climate much of the rest of the country endures. But temperatures plunged into the 20s and 30s overnight and many woke to a dusting of snow clinging to prominent mountain peaks in the region. As is typical of such activity, most of the powder melts by midday, but even so, snowfall in the Bay Area is a real novelty for natives and transplants alike. To the chagrin of some, it is rarely substantial enough to make snow angels or supply a snowball fight.
In the photograph above, sea-level Oakland is completely unaffected by the snowfall on Contra Costa County's Mt. Diablo (elevation 3849 feet) just 20 miles to the east.
It is 9 a.m. and the east peak of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County (elevation 2571 feet) exhibits evidence of a light overnight snowfall. The upper reaches of this iconic peak and its fire lookout station will be free of snow by noon.
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