Snow in San Jose - 1976

In early 1976, the Bay Area experienced one of the most spectacular rare events - a true snowfall that stuck on the Santa Clara Valley floor. Mel Basuini filmed the event, recording the 3 inches of accumulation on his antique autos, yard, and the orchards surrounding his San Jose home. Snowballs are always the first order of business on such a day, and as Mel's wife Gloria snapped photos, the frozen projectiles flew!
The bay area has seen snow since '76, but not enough to linger on the ground as long as it did - and nobody building snowmen back then will forget it!
Filmed and donated by Mel Basuini
Digitized by Rick Helin and Bill Foley
Edited by Bill Foley
A Part of the Pioneers Film Archive
All footage copyrighted

[@MrMeasureTwice]

What a great day that was!! I was in 6th Grade at Eastbrook Elementary in Los Altos. School was one big snowball fight for hours!!

[@fob1xxl]

I was living in Santa Clara in 1961/1962 when it snowed. It was quite a site. By 1976, I was living in L.A.

[@wmtrader]

I recall the 1976 snow fall, I was 9-years old at the time. We were living in the Evergreen area near Aborn Road and San Fellipe Road. The snow lasted until about 12 noon. It snowed again in the early 1990s but that was at night and it melted right away.

[@jons.6216]

Remember that day well! My dad was always making the dad forecast "if it gets any colder tonight we might even catch a little snow...!" Haha! He definitely woke us up early to see it! Started out looking like soft hail, then later into soft blobs! It didn't stay on the sidewalks or streets, but did on lawns, roofs, cars and plants. What was unfortunate for my sixth grade class at Ross Elementary was that this was the day we had to travel to Dartmouth Jr High for an orientation!

[@newlam7958]

I remember that day! I was in the 7th grade at Miller Jr. High and there was snow on the school grounds. My parents experienced the same thing in San Jose around I think was 1960 when it snowed in the valley.

[@jons.6216]

January, 1962 to be exact! My brother was born just ten days earlier on the 11th.

[@veronicaj20]

I lived in Campbell then and was attending Del Mar High School. I remember the snow very well, waiting for the school bus, and then a snowball fight in the quad! There are photos of it in our 1976 yearbook.

[@Greg_call]

Yes. Remembered this day well. Got off school for the day... Bagby Elementary School. The mountains looked beautiful with all the snow too. Good times... Long gone.

[@PlasmaCoolantLeak]

San Jose kid here, I was in the central valley at the time. Do you know what part of SJ this occurred in?

[@SCCPioneers]

The snow occurred in the whole valley! This footage was filmed in southwest San Jose, near Willow Glen and Campbell.

[@peterkuchenbrod5696]

I lived in south San Jose near Cottle Road, and was snowing there.

[@Dave-gg8gm]

I lived in San Jose on Rue Calais, I remember that day well even though I was only five.

[@lainefreedom5010]

I remember this day

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

I don't recall snow in Los Altos Palo Alto area then but I do recall March? 1973 it snowed 2-3"