Surprise in California as snow arrives early on last day of summer

Sierra Nevada hit by 3 inches of snow thanks to 'weather rollercoaster', forecaster says

Northern California has seen snow on the official last day of summer (AP)

Snow has fallen in California on what was officially classed as the last day of summer, with the unexpectedly early turn in the weather causing dangerous travel conditions.

Drivers have been advised to take care in the icy conditions and one man has already been killed due to a car crash on the Interstate 80 motorway.

Residents in the Sierra Nevada mountain range were shocked to wake up to heavy snowfall on Thursday morning with one village in Mammoth Lakes reporting 3 inches of snow.

The Yosemite National Park was forced to close its eastern entry due to the adverse weather conditions despite Tioga Pass road typically only becoming impassable in mid-November.

However, the heavy snow isn’t expected to last in Northern California. “Fall is a big transition period, so we have these big dips in temperature and then we go higher,” National Weather Service forecaster Hannah Chandler told the LA Times.

“It’s kind of a weather roller coaster,” she added.

America has been suffering from a string of remarkable weather events this summer, not least the severe flooding in Houston, Texas due to Hurricane Harvey.