California is bracing for another winter storm expected to bring several inches of snow to normally dry areas shortly after catastrophic flooding hit the Golden State.
Meteorologists expect snow at lower elevations than usual, along with gusty winds and rain that could disrupt travel through Tuesday. They say an inch could fall in Grapevine, Southern California, with the hills around Los Angeles and San Diego also expected to get a coating of the white stuff.
The Golden State was hit by a massive storm in late 2022-2023 caused by a series of atmospheric flows traversing the state.
While weather experts don’t expect the storm to wreak havoc in the same way, they do warn that the southern portion of the state can expect snowfall of up to half a foot.
“This storm won’t bring massive amounts of rain and mountain snow like events earlier in the month, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have dangerous conditions of its own,” warned AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Southern California braces for several inches of snowfall through Tuesday. Frazier Park north of Los Angeles was hit by snow on Monday
The winter storm blanketed slopes along Freeway 5 in Gorman on Monday
California has another lull in sunshine as the southern end experienced scattered rain and gusty winds on Monday.
Photos showed the hills off I-5 in Gorman, California covered in a blanket of snow as the weather progressed. Meanwhile, a snow-covered car was spotted in Kern County north of Los Angeles.
Downtown Los Angeles saw the most rainfall, up to three-quarters of an inch.
Experts expect rain to continue into Tuesday, in addition to snow expected to fall below 3,000 feet in some areas. Higher elevations can expect at least a foot of snow.
Extreme snowfall of up to 12 inches is expected in some areas in Wrightwood, Big Bear Lake and Idyllwild.
“Some of the hills around Los Angeles and San Diego could see some snowflakes,” meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Thunderstorms are also likely as weather forecasters warn that travel from San Diego to the high desert could be affected.
“This is the type of setup that can trigger locally severe thunderstorms, packing strong gusts of wind, brief intense downpours and hail in the areas of Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs, California,” Sosnowski said, according to the news agency.
Extreme snowfall is expected in Wrightwood, Big Bear Lake and Idyllwild
Snow was seen in Gorman, California on January 30th. Gorman sits above Los Angeles
An SUV was seen on I-5 in Gorman as snow continued to fall Monday
Snow was also seen in Frazer Park, with officials listing the fire warning as “low”.
Winter weather conditions in the Golden State are expected to continue through Tuesday evening
A winter storm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for several mountain ranges including Riverside, San Diego and San Bernardino.
The warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday as the NWS expects certain areas to receive up to two inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour.
Officials also warned travelers to take precautions and keep an extra flashlight in their vehicles along with water and food for emergencies.
Snow at lower elevations in Southern California is rare. The last time snow reached closer to coastal areas, including in Malibu, was in 2021.
In 2019, a small amount of severe weather hit Malibu, Calabasas, Pasadena, and Rancho Cucamonga.
The last measurable snow fell in downtown Los Angeles around 1949, according to the National Weather Service.
Traffic was seen on I-5 in Lebec, California on Monday
Snow-covered sun loungers by the pool at the Holiday Inn Express in Lebec on Monday
The past winter storm helped improve California’s ongoing drought by completely removing the state from the extreme and extraordinary drought category
The past winter storm helped improve California’s ongoing drought by completely removing the state from the extreme and extraordinary drought category.
The new map showing the state’s drought conditions was released last week as current statistics show most of the sunny state is either moderately or unusually dry.
It’s unclear what recent drought conditions mean for small towns, which last year claimed they would run out of water within months.