A strong winter storm is expected to make travel difficult through the weekend in some parts of Southern California, where rare blizzard warnings have been issued.
This is the first blizzard warning for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties since 1989, according to the FOX Forecast Center. On those mountains, up to 5 feet of snowfall and wind gusts of 75 mph are predicted. Up to 7 feet of snow might fall at the highest elevations. This hazardous brew of strong gusts and deep snow will be blinding.
On Thursday, the San Diego National Weather Service issued its first-ever Blizzard Warning for the mountains of San Bernardino County from 4 a.m. Friday until 4 p.m. Saturday.
Britta Merwin, a meteorologist with FOX Weather, stated, “Your eyes are not playing tricks on you.” That orange box is a Blizzard Warning for Southern California that is in force from Friday morning until 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Additionally, the NWS issued Blizzard Warnings for Santa Barbara and Fresno counties’ higher elevations. Also covered by the blizzard warnings are Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. The FOX Forecast Center warned that gusts of wind up to 60 miles per hour could cause wind chills to drop to 40 degrees below zero, which can cause exposed skin to freeze in 10 minutes.
The second-most snowiest day ever recorded was in Portland, Oregon.
The storm has already caused damage in the Pacific Northwest. On Wednesday, 10.8 inches of snow fell in Portland, Oregon, making it the second-wettest day on record for the city. The only snowier day was January 21, 1943, during World War II, when 14.4 inches of snow were recorded.
Beginning on Thursday, much of the Golden State may experience snow, strong winds, and even thunderstorms as the storm moves into California from the south. As the low-pressure system gets stronger, the weather on Friday and Saturday will get a lot worse.
Snow
- Northern California:
The astounding cold will cause snow levels to significantly decline.
Snow levels for this event could fall as low as 1,000 feet or even 500 feet in some locations, despite the fact that snow above 3,000 feet is rather usual. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it would snow in the North Bay Mountains, Santa Cruz Mountains, and Diablo Range, even though it doesn’t usually snow there. The FOX Forecast Center predicts that this event will just bring rain to San Francisco.
8 to 12 inches of snow can be anticipated at higher elevations over 3,000 feet. Four feet of snow might fall on the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Since 2001, Grass Valley, California, in Nevada County, has not received a foot of snow. The typical maximum temperature at this time of year is 55 degrees.
- Southern California:
The Blizzard Warning calls for significant snowfall in coastal ranges on Friday and Saturday. There will be between 3,000 and 4,000 feet of snow.
In a discussion about the weather, the NWS office in Los Angeles said that the storm “has the potential to bring unprecedented amounts of snow for 24 to 36 hours from Friday to Saturday.”
Between 2 and 5 feet of snow may fall, with as much as 7 feet accumulating at the highest elevations, depending on the height. The FOX Forecast Center thinks that it will sometimes rain about 1 inch per hour along the coast.
Travel will be hazardous with near-whiteout conditions in some places when combined with wind gusts that can reach hurricane force.
Strong Winds
Much of California will experience strong winds as the storm system intensifies offshore. There will be frequent gusts between 35 and 50 mph in the valleys and lowlands. Wind gusts of up to 75 mph at hurricane force are possible.
From California to the Four Corners area to the southern High Plains, the NWS issued high wind warnings and advisories. Gusts of up to 85 mph were possible as far east as New Mexico.
Flooding Rain
On Friday and Saturday, the NWS issued a flood warning for lower elevations along the coastal ranges in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties.
“In the short term, the amount of water flowing down from the mountains will be constrained by the lower snow levels.” Nonetheless, flooding or flash flooding is probable almost anywhere, not just in burn regions, due to the possibility of one inch per hour rates, thunderstorms, and the longer duration of heavy rain. In a prediction debate, the Los Angeles NWS office made a statement.
Rainfall rates of one inch per hour, according to computer forecast models, are anticipated. Rainfall of 2 to 5 inches is expected in the lowlands and along the coasts. Up to 10 inches of rain might fall on south-facing mountains.
Rivers in the area are in danger of going above flood stage.
There is a chance that trees and electricity lines will be downed when there is a lot of rain and strong winds.
Also, the FOX Forecast Center says that the location of the upper-level area of low pressure will make it more likely that there will be thunderstorms with hail from late Friday to early Saturday.
Extremely Low Temperatures
With this system, the West will also get a big blast of cold air, as if the snow, thunderstorms, and winds weren’t enough.
On Thursday, a lot of records for the lowest high temperature ever recorded on a specific date will be broken. Major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are included in this.
This will result in highs that are 10 to 20 degrees below typical for this time of year—the 30s and 40s.
