A first blizzard in a generation pounded the hills around Los Angeles on Friday, with heavy rains threatening flooding in other places. Breathless television weather presenters more used to delivering a same-every-day forecast of warm sunshine found themselves knee-deep in the white stuff as the region grappled with its worst winter storm for decades.
Despite the weather, the state remained in record drought. A week before the storm, water captured in the state’s snowpack was 24% of the average.
As the blizzard moved out of the area, showers began to fall throughout the morning and evening in Southern California’s urban areas. In addition, some parts of the San Gabriel Valley and coastal Los Angeles County reported a few inches of rain.
In lower elevations, rain is expected to continue steadily throughout the weekend. That could lead to mudslides and flood warnings, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Flash Flood Watches and Blizzard Warnings are in effect for large swaths of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties through 10 p.m.
The weather service said that heavy rain would likely produce a swath of flash flooding that would cover roads, streets, and driveways and cause minor to moderate flooding in rivers and streams through the weekend. In addition, some rain will likely be accompanied by heavy snowfall, with accumulations as high as 3 to 6 inches at higher elevations in the foothills and mountains, NWS reported.
Meanwhile, in central and northern California mountains, snow accumulations of up to 5 feet are possible atop mountain peaks. The mountains last saw this much snow in a significant winter storm in 1989, according to the National Weather Service, and it’s not clear whether this will be the last one like it.
Streams and rivers risk rising, with a possible flood in the Tejon Pass near Fresno. A road closure was also in place on Interstate 5 from the Grapevine to Tejon and south of Lake Tahoe.
As the storm moves out of the region, rain is expected to taper off Saturday as it pushes east gradually. The precipitation will then be replaced with more sunshine as it reaches the Pacific Ocean Sunday afternoon.
This is the first significant winter storm to hit the state in over a decade, and it will take a while before it leaves. The next significant weather system will not arrive until early next week, and it will have more of an impact in Northern California than Southern California, meteorologists say.
The heaviest snow will likely fall at higher elevations, especially in the Sierra Nevada and Southern California mountains. Accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are possible at elevations above 2,500 feet, with 6 to 12 inches in the higher peaks, NWS predicts.
For weeks, the unusual blizzard was caused by an atmospheric phenomenon known as an upper-level low-pressure area over the west. It will move north from Canada into the central United States. It will be followed by a more robust storm system expected to move in on Monday, bringing another round of heavy rain and snow to the region.
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