A portion of California's recent super bloom was killed off last weekend after a rare spring snowstorm.
© Sicco Rood/Anza-Borrego DRCA portion of California's recent super bloom was killed off last weekend after a rare spring snowstorm.
Part of the state's most prolific bloom since 1999 is now buried under 10 inches of snow.

A Southern California super bloom so prolific it could be seen from space has been killed off by a last gasp from old man winter.

While many of the spectacular species of wildflowers, from Arizona lupine to desert lilies, were already on the wane, a freak snowstorm that blew through the state on May 7 finished the job. In San Diego, the city recorded its coldest day in 64 years with a high of "only" 59 degrees. Nearby Palomar Mountain, where blooms were still heavy with color, recorded a record 10 inches of snowfall.

"This is basically a winter storm that happens to be occurring in May," James Brotherton, a weather service forecaster, told the San Diego Tribune. "There's snow in the mountains, rain everywhere else, and cold air."

Sicco Rood, a research associate at the Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center, captured some photos Sunday on Cuyamaca Peak, which received an average of one foot of snow from the storm.

A scene of the unexpected winter wonderland on Cuyamaca Peak.
© Sicco Rood/Anza-Borrego DRCA scene of the unexpected winter wonderland on Cuyamaca Peak.
A frozen bloom on Cuyamaca Peak.
© Sicco Rood/Anza-Borrego DRCA frozen bloom on Cuyamaca Peak.
Some of the last portions of the California super bloom have been encased in ice.
© Sicco Rood/Anza-Borrego DRCSome of the last portions of the California super bloom have been encased in ice.
Some flowers managed to escape the brunt of the icy blast.
© Sicco Rood/Anza-Borrego DRCSome flowers managed to escape the brunt of the icy blast.