Three inches of snow at the top of the Palm Springs tram

There's three inches of snow at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on Mt. San Jacinto, where temperatures are hovering in the high 20's.

"It's crazy - it's May 15 and it's snowing," said Greg Purdy, the tram's public affairs manager.

He said the snow began falling around 6 p.m. Thursday night, then stopped for awhile, but snowflakes were once again tumbling from the sky by the time he arrived to work on Friday.

Purdy, who took one of the first tram cars up to Mountain Station Friday morning to get a good look at the snow-covered alpine hillsides, watched as a carload of passengers - carrying many happy "littel kids in parkas" - head out the door to enjoy the winter-like weather.

Desert weather can be pleasantly unpredictable.

"

Where else can you sit by the pool in 80 degree temperatures (predicted for the weekend) then 20 minutes later be walking in the snow?" he said.