California sees a summer of extremes, from heat waves and wildfires to snow

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- An unusually acold upwind strategy from the Gulf of Alaska interrupted summertime on the West Coast connected Saturday, bringing snowfall to mountains successful California and the Pacific Northwest and prompting the closure of portion of a road that runs done a nationalist park.

Parts of Highway 89 done Lassen Volcanic National Park successful California were unopen down aft an estimated 3 inches of snowfall fell overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Photos posted by the bureau and section authorities showed a high-elevation broad of achromatic connected Mount Rainier successful Washington on with a dusting of snowfall astatine Minaret Vista, a lookout constituent southeast of Yosemite National Park successful California's Sierra Nevada.

Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich said it was "definitely unexpected" to spot snowfall astatine Minaret Vista successful August.

"It's not each time you get to walk your day surrounded by a wintertime wonderland successful the mediate of summer," helium said successful a statement. "It made for a time I won't soon forget, and a unsocial reminder of wherefore I emotion serving successful this area. It's conscionable 1 of those moments that makes moving up present truthful special."

In bluish Nevada, rainfall fell successful the runup to the yearly Burning Man festival, prompting organizers to adjacent the entranceway gross for astir of Saturday earlier reopening. Torrential rains upended past year's festival, turning the solemnisation and its impermanent metropolis into a muddy quagmire.

It besides snowed overnight connected Mammoth Mountain, with the National Weather Service informing hikers and campers to hole for slick roads.

Rain showers southbound of Lake Oroville successful Northern California were expected to proceed into the evening, the bureau said.

A dusting of snowfall fell overnight connected the crest of the Sierra Nevada astir Tioga Pass, the upwind work said. August snowfall has not occurred determination since 2003, forecasters said.

Tioga Pass rises to much than 9,900 feet and serves arsenic the eastbound entryway to Yosemite. But it is usually closed overmuch of each twelvemonth by wintertime snowfall that tin instrumentality 1 oregon 2 months to clear.

While the commencement of skis play is astatine slightest respective months away, the hint of wintertime was welcomed by resorts.

"It's a chill and blustery August time present astatine Palisades Tahoe, arsenic a tempest that could bring our archetypal snowfall of the play moves successful this afternoon!" the edifice said successful a societal media station Friday.

The "anomalous chill conditions" volition dispersed implicit overmuch of the occidental U.S. by Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center successful College Park, Maryland.

Despite the expected precipitation, forecasters besides warned of occurrence information due to the fact that of gusty winds associated with the transition of the acold front.

At the aforesaid time, a flash flood ticker was issued for the pain scar of California's largest wildfire truthful acold this twelvemonth from Friday greeting done Saturday morning.

The Park Fire roared crossed much than 671 quadrate miles aft it erupted successful precocious July adjacent the Central Valley metropolis of Chico and climbed up the occidental slope of the Sierra.

The occurrence became California's fourth-largest connected record, but it has been substantially tamed recently. Islands of vegetation proceed to pain wrong its existing perimeter, but evacuation orders person been canceled.

The state's wildfire play got disconnected to an aggravated commencement amid utmost July heat. Blazes fed connected dried-out vegetation that grew during back-to-back bedewed years. Fire enactment has precocious fallen into a comparative lull.

Forecasts telephone for a accelerated instrumentality of summertime vigor arsenic the acold beforehand departs.

Antczak reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Morgan Lee successful Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.