In San Francisco, Anticipation for a Rare Sight: Snow
By JESSE McKINLEY NY TIMES
SAN FRANCISCO — It is not snowing in San Francisco. To repeat: not snowing.
Amid the type of wide-eyed anticipation usually reserved for the arrival of a pope, a president or a particularly good pinot, residents of San Francisco were giddy and girding for the possibility of a dusting of snow on Friday, as a powerful Pacific storm coincided with a blast of cold Canadian air.
The resulting mix had left city dwellers looking skyward for the first significant snowfall here since February 1976, when an inch fell, according to the National Weather Service.
“I can’t wait. It’ll be crazy,” said Marisa Belaski-Farias, 23, a graphic design student who grew up in Hawaii and has never seen snow in person. “I have a cardboard box at home. Hopefully there will be enough snow to sled.”
That outing might have to wait. By early Friday morning, the storm had delivered only soaking rain and howling gales, as the Canadian cold front lingered to the north of the city. But minute-by-minute reports on television promised that snow was coming by late afternoon, with live team coverage and ominous outlooks.
“Right now, it’s just rain for us, but the cold air is getting closer,” said Steve Paulson, the weatherman for KTVU, the Fox affiliate, at 6 a.m. “It’s getting closer.”
The very possibility that San Francisco could see snowfall has led to a flurry of activity by online wiseacres. The Web site Isitsnowinginsfyet.com was set up to answer whether it was snowing in the city, and mock terror bounced around the Twittersphere.
“Apparently going to snow today in San Francisco for first time in 35 years,” wrote the aptly named Anastasia Frost (@tummytickle), a British woman visiting the city. “Dear weather, please stop showing off & just give us the sun.”
Several Web sites also got into the fun, including the Bay Citizen, which labeled the mere idea of snow as “SnO.M.G.,” an apparent homage to both Valley girls and the East Coast’s recent spate of blizzards, which were called Snowmageddon.
There were, of course, more serious responses.
On Thursday, the San Francisco mayor, Edwin M. Lee, was warning of unseasonable cold and asking city homeless shelters to increase their capacity and outreach to the indigent.
“City agencies are working together to ensure that homes and businesses are protected and the public is safe during these severe weather storms,” said Mr. Lee in a statement, adding that city crews would be monitoring for flooding and hazardous conditions on the roads. The city’s Department of Public Works was planning to offer free sandbags, and its emergency management department had activated its Incident Management Team to coordinate with other regional agencies in case of possible disruptions in utilities or transportation, city officials said.
Snow is more common outside the city, with scenic mountain peaks sometimes receiving small accumulations. And sure enough, as this storm approached, meteorologists were predicting the heaviest snow would fall in the upper elevations of Napa County, the wine-rich region to the north of the city, which could see six inches or more. Some parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains, to the south, were also expected to receive a half foot or more.
Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey, Calif., said snow was a rarity in San Francisco because moisture that hits Northern California is generally warmed above the freezing point over the Pacific before making landfall. In this case, however, the rain was being met by a blast of cold coming in overland from the north.
Mr. Anderson said snow could fall all the way to sea level in San Francisco by Saturday, as the front passes through, though it was more likely to be seen in places like Twin Peaks, a city neighborhood that sits at about 900 feet.
“It’s certainly not going to stick on the ground at sea level or around town,” Mr. Anderson said. “But there’s certainly a chance for white stuff on the hills.”
In classic San Francisco fashion, where weather can vary hour by hour and block to block, the early morning rains gave way to clear skies, with a prediction of more precipitation later in the day.
Still, for some residents, the hype over the rare weather had already turned their feelings to mush.
“I’m already over the snow in San Francisco,” wrote Michael Owens, a San Francisco Twitter user (@mko). “And it hasn’t even happened yet.”
Malia Wollan contributed reporting.
By JESSE McKINLEY NY TIMES
SAN FRANCISCO — It is not snowing in San Francisco. To repeat: not snowing.
Amid the type of wide-eyed anticipation usually reserved for the arrival of a pope, a president or a particularly good pinot, residents of San Francisco were giddy and girding for the possibility of a dusting of snow on Friday, as a powerful Pacific storm coincided with a blast of cold Canadian air.
The resulting mix had left city dwellers looking skyward for the first significant snowfall here since February 1976, when an inch fell, according to the National Weather Service.
“I can’t wait. It’ll be crazy,” said Marisa Belaski-Farias, 23, a graphic design student who grew up in Hawaii and has never seen snow in person. “I have a cardboard box at home. Hopefully there will be enough snow to sled.”
That outing might have to wait. By early Friday morning, the storm had delivered only soaking rain and howling gales, as the Canadian cold front lingered to the north of the city. But minute-by-minute reports on television promised that snow was coming by late afternoon, with live team coverage and ominous outlooks.
“Right now, it’s just rain for us, but the cold air is getting closer,” said Steve Paulson, the weatherman for KTVU, the Fox affiliate, at 6 a.m. “It’s getting closer.”
The very possibility that San Francisco could see snowfall has led to a flurry of activity by online wiseacres. The Web site Isitsnowinginsfyet.com was set up to answer whether it was snowing in the city, and mock terror bounced around the Twittersphere.
“Apparently going to snow today in San Francisco for first time in 35 years,” wrote the aptly named Anastasia Frost (@tummytickle), a British woman visiting the city. “Dear weather, please stop showing off & just give us the sun.”
Several Web sites also got into the fun, including the Bay Citizen, which labeled the mere idea of snow as “SnO.M.G.,” an apparent homage to both Valley girls and the East Coast’s recent spate of blizzards, which were called Snowmageddon.
There were, of course, more serious responses.
On Thursday, the San Francisco mayor, Edwin M. Lee, was warning of unseasonable cold and asking city homeless shelters to increase their capacity and outreach to the indigent.
“City agencies are working together to ensure that homes and businesses are protected and the public is safe during these severe weather storms,” said Mr. Lee in a statement, adding that city crews would be monitoring for flooding and hazardous conditions on the roads. The city’s Department of Public Works was planning to offer free sandbags, and its emergency management department had activated its Incident Management Team to coordinate with other regional agencies in case of possible disruptions in utilities or transportation, city officials said.
Snow is more common outside the city, with scenic mountain peaks sometimes receiving small accumulations. And sure enough, as this storm approached, meteorologists were predicting the heaviest snow would fall in the upper elevations of Napa County, the wine-rich region to the north of the city, which could see six inches or more. Some parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains, to the south, were also expected to receive a half foot or more.
Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey, Calif., said snow was a rarity in San Francisco because moisture that hits Northern California is generally warmed above the freezing point over the Pacific before making landfall. In this case, however, the rain was being met by a blast of cold coming in overland from the north.
Mr. Anderson said snow could fall all the way to sea level in San Francisco by Saturday, as the front passes through, though it was more likely to be seen in places like Twin Peaks, a city neighborhood that sits at about 900 feet.
“It’s certainly not going to stick on the ground at sea level or around town,” Mr. Anderson said. “But there’s certainly a chance for white stuff on the hills.”
In classic San Francisco fashion, where weather can vary hour by hour and block to block, the early morning rains gave way to clear skies, with a prediction of more precipitation later in the day.
Still, for some residents, the hype over the rare weather had already turned their feelings to mush.
“I’m already over the snow in San Francisco,” wrote Michael Owens, a San Francisco Twitter user (@mko). “And it hasn’t even happened yet.”
Malia Wollan contributed reporting.
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