Chilly climate moved into Southern California on Sunday, bringing rain, cloudy skies and snowfall within the mountains.
The climate that swept in from the north was forecast to drop 6 to 10 inches of snow at elevations above 5,000 toes within the San Gabriel Mountains, and as a lot as a foot of snow at excessive elevations within the mountains in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.
The Nationwide Climate Service stated the chilly climate would convey snow at elevations as little as 2,500 toes, and will depart as much as 2 inches on mountain passes together with the Grapevine on Interstate 5. Forecasters warned the snow may make for slippery driving on roads within the mountains.
The low-pressure system got here down from Canada over land, stated David Candy, meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service in Oxnard.
“It’s acquired numerous chilly air with it. And it’s going to drop our snow ranges down fairly low,” Candy stated.
“Slippery roads are doable. Snow is predicted to have an effect on the Grapevine. So there may very well be some hazardous street circumstances,” Candy stated. “Folks above 2,500 to three,000 toes must be ready for the opportunity of winter street circumstances.”
Within the Los Angeles space, mild rain was anticipated, with highs within the mid-50s and in a single day lows within the low 40s.
The Nationwide Climate Service issued a winter storm warning for mountain areas in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties, forecasting heavy snow and wind gusts of 30 mph to 60 mph in some areas.
In Los Angeles County’s mountains, 2 to five inches of snow was forecast between 3,000 toes and 4,500 toes, with 4 to eight inches of snow at larger elevations.
Components of the excessive desert are additionally anticipated to get snow — as a lot as 3 inches within the foothills of the Antelope Valley, and someplace between a hint of snow and an inch on the valley flooring round Palmdale.
“Some of us that aren’t used to snow will most likely have a possibility to see just a little little bit of snow,” Candy stated.
Elsewhere within the state, the climate introduced showers within the Central Valley and contemporary snow within the Sierra Nevada. After 10 days with out snow, about 0.8 inch of snow fell Sunday morning on the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory at Donner Cross, and extra was coming down.
The contemporary snowfall introduced a lightweight addition to the Sierra snowpack after storms within the first half of January gave California its deepest snow in years. The snow water equal of the Sierra Nevada snowpack now measures 214% of common for this time of yr, bringing a big enhance to California’s water provides after three years of extreme drought.
The snowfall on this newest climate system is “not overly impactful in comparison with what we’ve seen for the primary half of January,” stated Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service in Sacramento. She stated 3 to eight inches of snow was anticipated on mountain passes, with bigger quantities at larger elevations.
In elements of the Sierra Nevada, drivers had been suggested to make use of chains.
“If individuals do have mountain journey plans, count on some journey delays and slick roads,” Hand stated.
The storm was anticipated to float southward off the coast of Southern California by Monday evening, leaving the snow-covered mountains underneath clear skies by Tuesday.
