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Season’s First Snowfall Coming to the Sierra, Rain for Fresno

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Three to six inches of snow are expected this weekend at elevations above 8,000 feet in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon areas of the Sierra. (Shutterstock)
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The Sierra will see its first snow of the season this weekend, and there’s a chance of rain in Fresno as well, the National Weather Service reports.

“The big story with this trough is the first snow of the season in the Sierra Nevada,” NWS Hanford said in its Friday morning discussion.

“Latest models are showing between 3 and 6 inches above 8,000 feet with local heavier amounts. The models are showing the higher snow amounts towards the Sequoia and Kings Canyon area with a 14% chance of 6 inches or more in the higher elevations of Kings County National Park.”

With snow in the forecast, NWS Hanford issued its first Winter Weather Advisory of the season.

On the Valley floor, Fresno could receive up to .17 inch of rain on Saturday. The forecast for most other Valley locations calls for one-tenth of an inch or less of rain.

Foothill locations could see .20 inch of rain, and .42 is projected for Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.

Forecast: Sunny and Warm for Big Fresno Fair Opening

The storm is expected to clear Saturday night, resulting in sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the mid-70s on Sunday.

By Tuesday, however, daytime temps will return to the 80s and gradually rise to an expected high of 89 by Thursday.

That should provide picture-perfect opening-day weather for The Big Fresno Fair. The fair opens Wednesday and concludes this year’s 12-day run on Oct. 15.

nws snow forecast Sept. 20, 2023

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

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