Photo taken near McClellan Rock near State Route 36 in eastern Humboldt County. | Wanda Adams.

Just when it seemed like spring had arrived for good, bringing cherry blossoms and t-shirt weather …

“Uh, it’s snowing.”

That’s the text my friend and Eureka neighbor sent last night at 9:26, and sure enough, here’s what my backyard looked like at the time:

Humboldt County snow isn’t uncommon in the upland/inland locales such as Berry Summit, Kneeland and McClellan Mountain (pictured up top). But when it starts falling near sea level, it’s notable.

Wendy Pickett Monolias sent in the following images from Cummings Road, just southeast of Eureka:

And Madelyne Rose Salmon sent in this shot of early morning snow accumulation in Fortuna:

There was even snow on the field at Humboldt State University’s Redwood Bowl this morning:

And, predictably, the upland areas were transformed into a winter wonderland this morning. Here’s some footage submitted by Dottie Simmons looking west from her spot on State Route 36 near Dinsmore, elevation roughly 2,500 feet:

And all the way out near Mad River, just over the line into Trinity County, impressive icicles had formed:

Photo by Sheila White.

According to data compiled by the National Weather Service, the temps in Eureka have dipped into the cold side of normal over the last week or so, but we haven’t broken any records. (The all-time low for Eureka in February was 24 degrees, recorded all the way back in 1899.) 

As for snow, the National Weather Service’s Eureka office is out on Woodley Island, and while Lead Meteorologist Matthew Kidwell said there were “some flakes” out there last night, he didn’t think there was enough to get recorded in the official measurements.

The last time there was enough to hit that mark was almost 15 years ago, April 2, 2003, when Woodley Island got a whopping tenth of an inch of snowfall. One night in 2002 saw four tenths of an inch, according to Kidwell.

For significant snowfall at the coast you have to go all the way back to the day before Valentine’s Day, 1990, when a full inch of snow fell at Woodley Island. The year prior, 1989, saw an inch-and-a-half of snow on February 3 and another two inches on February 4. 

Kidwell said the showers have diminished and tonight should be dry, but with the clouds cleared out the temperatures are expected to drop further still. A hard freeze warning has been issued for tonight, so make sure your critters are indoors, and stay safe on the roads.

Fickle Hill early this morning. | Photo posted to LoCO’s Facebook page by Suzie Hatfield.

Four miles up Alderpoint Road near Garberville. | Photo posted to LoCO’s Facebook page by David Durr.

ADDENDUM, 3:20 p.m.: One last photo here. LoCO reader Cathy Spinosa emailed us this one — just some tire tracks in her driveway where a truck reversed and then drove away, inadvertently leaving a belated homage to Valentine’s Day: