On Feb. 23, East Bay residents woke to a rare sight of snow covering the surrounding mountains. This historic snowfall left many Bay Area residents shocked and filled with excitement. Despite the snow slowing down traffic, many Bay Area residents still went out to experience the snow for the first time.

“I thought it was crazy. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought it was Christmas. It was spectacular. People were playing in the snow, and I felt like it was something out of a dream,” states Angela Tafur, a Chabot College student who visited Grizzly peak.

East Bay resident Benjamin Barretto also heard the news and headed toward Mission Peak in Fremont, “My immediate thoughts were those of excitement. This type of weather doesn’t happen often in the Bay Area, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it and experience it for myself.”

Despite the excitement from many Bay Area residents, others issued concerns regarding the rare snowstorm. “It makes me concerned because this is not regular weather for the bay area. This is very abnormal, and I am concerned for more drastic weather changes in the future,” states Chabot College student Kevin Medina. 

Benjamin also shared his concerns, “Once I got to the top of Mission Peak, I realized I felt like I was in a completely different place and that this severe weather change should be a cause for concern. It was weird to be completely surrounded by snow and hit with 50 mph winds only to be at work an hour later.”