High winds, freezing temperatures and precipitation have been the reality in Sonoma County this week, and projections that snowfall was possible at elevations down to 1,000 feet—and perhaps lower—held out the tantalizing if unlikely prospect of snow falling on the Healdsburg Plaza.
A cold front blew into the Bay Area on Tuesday, and unstable weather continued all week. Tuesday night winds measured 57 miles an hour southwest of Healdsburg, and falling trees knocked out power in the southern part of the county—canceling a Mardi Gras party in Sebastopol, among other impacts.
As the Tribune goes to press, a freeze warning is in effect for the northern Sonoma County area, expected to be lifted on Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service predicts rain and snow would hit the Healdsburg area on Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday morning. Falling temperatures meant snow could fall down to 700 feet, low enough to dust Fitch Mountain with the white stuff.
The snow level is expected to rise to 1,200 feet on Thursday afternoon—Mt. St Helena and the Mayacamas should have visible snowy summits—and cloudy weather, gusting winds and a 60% chance of precipitation could prevail into Friday.
The rest of the weekend will bring intermittent rainfall, nighttime frost and mostly cloudy skies. While a break in the cloud cover results in sunny skies on Saturday, another storm front is gathering force in the mid-Pacific that should hit the California coast on Sunday, bringing with it a high probability of rain and near-freezing temperatures into the middle of next week.
Does that mean waking up to a snow-covered Plaza? Probably not. Residents may remember snowfall in Healdsburg as recently as 2017, and historic photos from the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society, and the Healdsburg Tribune, show several periods of time where streets, parks, houses and farms in the area are covered with the white stuff.
In 1930, a two-hour snowfall melted relatively swiftly after warmer rains began to fall. Four inches of snow were measured on Jan. 15, 1932, a like amount in 1916, and at least a couple inches in 1903 and 1948—when 27 inches were reported in Middletown.
But the fact that snow was newsworthy indicates it was uncommon, even then.
