SAN FRANCISCO — A storm system that moved into Northern California on Friday gave San Francisco its first snowfall in 35 years.
The New York Times reported that light snow showers hit several neighborhoods, including Twin Peaks, just before midnight.
The near sea-level city last saw snow on the ground in 1976, when an inch fell.
Earlier, the possibility of such a rare weather event sparked buzz around the city.
One blogger posted a pretend ski map, noting possible beginner, intermediate and expert runs in the city's hilly Bernal Heights neighborhood. A newly created website — isitsnowinginsfyet.com — also offered a simple answer for anyone who was wondering.
The San Francisco Chronicle posted old photos of snow from 1882, 1951, 1964 and other rare instances of city snowfall — including one photo from the 1976 storm that shows gleeful schoolkids throwing snowballs.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee urged residents to watch out for icy road conditions. The city's public works department was planning to offer free sandbags and emergency crews were put on stand-by.
For snow to fall and accumulate in San Francisco, temperatures must drop to 36 degrees, precipitation must be falling and the ground must be chilled for several days beforehand, said Steve Anderson, a National Weather Service forecaster.
But it rarely gets that cold in San Francisco, where the surrounding bay and Pacific Ocean generally keeps temperatures moderate.
This week's storm has already dumped more than 2 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters said more than 3 feet could fall in the highest elevations by the end of the weekend.
The New York Times reported that light snow showers hit several neighborhoods, including Twin Peaks, just before midnight.
The near sea-level city last saw snow on the ground in 1976, when an inch fell.
Earlier, the possibility of such a rare weather event sparked buzz around the city.
One blogger posted a pretend ski map, noting possible beginner, intermediate and expert runs in the city's hilly Bernal Heights neighborhood. A newly created website — isitsnowinginsfyet.com — also offered a simple answer for anyone who was wondering.
The San Francisco Chronicle posted old photos of snow from 1882, 1951, 1964 and other rare instances of city snowfall — including one photo from the 1976 storm that shows gleeful schoolkids throwing snowballs.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee urged residents to watch out for icy road conditions. The city's public works department was planning to offer free sandbags and emergency crews were put on stand-by.
For snow to fall and accumulate in San Francisco, temperatures must drop to 36 degrees, precipitation must be falling and the ground must be chilled for several days beforehand, said Steve Anderson, a National Weather Service forecaster.
But it rarely gets that cold in San Francisco, where the surrounding bay and Pacific Ocean generally keeps temperatures moderate.
This week's storm has already dumped more than 2 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters said more than 3 feet could fall in the highest elevations by the end of the weekend.
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