Bye, bye summer: Snow in the Sierra forecast for Thursday

Summer is really coming to a close.

A series of cold fronts are moving into the Sierra Nevada and the National Weather Service has snow in the forecast for Thursday, the last day of summer.

"Snow levels will get down to 7,000 feet at their lowest elevation level to maybe 6,500 feet in northeastern California," says Scott McGuire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Reno office. "Maybe we'll get a half-inch. Maybe a little more in the southern Sierra toward Yosemite, a couple inches."

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McGuire warns that people heading into the backcountry should be prepared for cooler temperatures.

The National Weather Service Reno has snow in the forecast for the Sierra Nevada Thursday. The National Weather Service Reno has snow in the forecast for the Sierra Nevada Thursday. Photo: National Weather Service Reno Photo: National Weather Service Reno Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close Bye, bye summer: Snow in the Sierra forecast for Thursday 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

The Sierra saw the first snow for the season last week on Sept. 12 with a light dusting at elevations above 10,000 feet. Last season, the first snow was recorded on Sept. 13, 2016.

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"As we head into fall, this is not abnormal," McGuire says. "We get a colder system that drops down out of the north and it brings colder air with precipitation. In combination with that, things cool off more at night. There are not as many daylight hours as that transition into fall is happening."

Fall officially arrives Friday with the autumn equinox.