EUREKA - Amid an unusual cold spell, a thin layer of snow dusted beaches in the far reaches of Northern California over the weekend.

The National Weather Service office in Eureka reported steady snowfall accumulating on the ground at sea level in Humboldt County at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

The National Weather Service office in Eureka reported steady snowfall accumulating on the ground at sea level in Humboldt County at 11:30 p.m. Saturday and shared a video of the flakes falling.

A photo posted by local meteorologist Eric McCormick of KIEM-TV shows Clam Beach in Arcata covered in fresh powder. And photos of McKinleyville, a town five miles north of Arcata that sits at 141-feet elevation, snow significant snowfall on the ground.

A steady stream of unsettled weather is funneling moisture and chilly air from the Northwest into Northern California, sending temperatures down into the 30s and 40s overnight and delivering snow to unusually low levels from Central California to the Oregon Border and beyond.

In the Bay Area, the highest mountain peaks — including Diablo, Hamilton, Tamalpais and St. Helena — received dustings early Sunday. In the coastal hills near Bodega Bay, snowfall was detected at 1,266 feet at 4:30 a.m. And most notably, farther north, it fell at 0 elevation.

Brad Charboneau, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Arcata, says when a heavy band of precipitation crossed into the region, the snow levels dropped to sea level.

Historical records going back to 1889 reveal that snow has accumulated on the ground at sea level in Northern California 28 times in the past 130 years; it has fallen and not stuck to the ground an additional 19 times.

Story Date: February 12, 2019