Heavy Snow — Santa Cruz Mountains, California

2023-02-24 · Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Event narrative

Highway 17 was closed from Granite Creek Road in Scotts Valley to the Santa Cruz/Santa Clara county line for over 12 hours because of heavy snow. Multiple trees were down on the roadway, a jackknifed truck and trailer blocked the road at the summit, and heavy snow up to 10-12 inches deep covered the road. Northbound lanes were opened at 3 PM with one southbound lane opened north of Summit Road by 5 PM.

Wider weather episode

A strong occluded front arrived in the bay Area on February 24, causing widespread precipitation and unusually low snow levels. Accumulating snow was seen at elevations as low as 1,000 feet, and graupel fell at the Santa Cruz beach.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1083358. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.