FOLSOM, Calif. — When was the last time it snowed in Folsom? The official answer: it’s been a while, if it has.
According to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Sacramento office, there is no official climate site for Folsom — the closest site is Sacramento.
“We don't have a lot of official climate sites that measure snow in the valley,” said Courtney Carpenter, an NWS meteorologist.
Traces of snow were recorded in Sacramento as recently as Dec. 7, 2009, according to Carpenter.
The last time there was measurable snow in the city was Feb. 5, 1976, when it snowed 2", Carpenter said. The greatest snowfall ever recorded in Sacramento was Jan. 4 and 5, 1888, when 3.5" were reported.
Folsom councilwoman Rosario Rodriguez posted snow flurrying outside city hall in February 2023 on Facebook, but the NWS later confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) what she saw was graupel, which starts as a snowflake and accumulates super-cooled water on its surface.
Hail, graupel and snow can all look very similar but form in different ways, according to ABC10 chief meteorologist Monica Woods.
“Hail is hard and solid,” Woods said. “It’s basically a ball of ice that forms in the updrafts of thunderstorms before falling to the ground. Graupel is soft and wet.”
Snow is simply precipitation that stays frozen as it falls to the ground.
The city of Folsom told ABC10 Tuesday it does not have any snow removal vehicles.
