As snow fell on the Valley floor on Wednesday, residents took to social media to document the rare event.
Snow was sighted in Friant, Fowler, Laton, Clovis, and Porterville, although there were spirited debates about what was snow and what was hail.
Watch: Hail or Snow in Clovis?
Fresno Could See up to 2 Inches of Rain
The National Weather Service in Hanford says that the snow elevation level will rise to 2,000 feet Thursday afternoon and to 5,000 feet on Friday. But a wallop of rain is expected in Fresno and surrounding communities starting at 10 p.m. Thursday and totaling up to 2 inches when skies clear Sunday night.
Strong winds remain in the forecast, and heavy snow is predicted in the mountains.
“The Sierra Nevada will also see extreme impacts due to impressive snow amounts and strong winds,” NWS said in its Thursday morning forecast discussion. “Elevations above 5000 feet Friday morning through Saturday afternoon could see as high as 5-6 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. 3-4 feet of snow may fall above 5000 feet in the Tehachapi Mountains in the same time frame.”
Related Story: Snow in Fresno? It’s Happened 48 Times and Could Again Soon
Watch: China Peak Snow Plow in Action
On Wednesday, Fresno County officials warned residents to drive carefully and avoid mountain travel.
Road to Giant Forest Closed
The Generals Highway is closed between Hospital Rock and Highway 180 because of the winter storm, thus making it impossible to reach Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. Call (559) 565-3341 and press 1, 1 for current road conditions.
Blizzard Warning for Los Angeles County
For the first time since 1989, NWS issued a blizzard warning through Saturday for Southern California mountains. Forecasters predicted “multiple rounds of new snowfall” with accumulations of up to 3 to 5 feet.
A blizzard warning also is in effect through Saturday for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters said conditions could include several feet of snow blown by 60-mph gusts and wind chill could drop the temperature to minus 40 degrees.
In addition, dangerous weather trapped drivers on icy roads, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, and grounded multiple flights from California through the northern Plains on Thursday morning.
Rescuers tried to reach people stranded in vehicles but high winds and drifting snow created a “near-impossible situation” for them, said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
In the Pacific Northwest, high winds and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers killed in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak over the weekend.
(Associated Press contributed to this article.)
