Wintery Storm Drops Snow on the Grapevine, More Rain on the Way

A cold Pacific storm out of the Gulf of Alaska brought Southern California rain and snow Thursday, and forecasters said a second weather system would do the same on Friday and Saturday.

By sunrise, the brunt of the storm was already east and south of the Greater Los Angeles area, but National Weather Service meteorologists said there would be scattered showers Thursday.

The snow level in the San Gabriels in Los Angeles and Ventura counties was between 5,000 and 5,500 feet Thursday morning and expected to fall as low as 3,500 feet, which could generate flurries across the Interstate 5 corridor without creating significant problems for drivers, according to an NWS advisory.

California Highway Patrol officers were pacing traffic through the Tejon Pass, according to Caltrans.

Between three and six inches of snow was expected to accumulate above 5,000 feet, and between one and three inches between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, forecasters said.

Also expected were winds of between 15 and 25 miles per hour, gusting to 35 mph, according to the NWS, which issued a winter weather advisory effective until 4 p.m. to indicate hazardous travel conditions resulting from snow and blowing snow.

"There will be lingering showers and snow showers around the San Gabriel mountains through early this evening while most areas will begin to dry out tonight into early Friday," according to an NWS advisory.

A second cold front, similar to the one that arrived Wednesday night, is expected to reach San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties late Friday morning or early in the afternoon, then spread southeast into Ventura and L.A.
counties in the evening, lingering into Saturday morning, according to the NWS.

The system's heaviest rain will fall in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The snow level will fall to between 4,000 and 5,000 feet Friday night, and there could be a dusting along the Interstate 5 corridor between Gorman and The Grapevine Saturday morning, NWS forecasters said.

The current storm and the one on its way are each expected to generally produce between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain in coastal and valley areas and between a half-inch and an inch in the mountains and foothills.

The storm dropped .07 of an inch in Sandberg and Warm Springs, .04 of an inch of rain in La Verne, .01 of an inch in Pasadena, Pomona, Whittier and Whitaker Peak and trace amounts in Burbank, Lancaster and Long Beach on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm limited highs to 43 at Sandberg and Mount Wilson, 54 in Saugus, 57 in Lancaster, Palmdale, Northridge and Van Nuys, 58 in Acton and Burbank, 59 in Chatsworth and Woodland Hills, 60 in Pomona, at Santa Monica Airport, San Gabriel, 61 at UCLA, 62 in downtown Los Angeles, Hawthorne, Los Angeles International Airport, Redondo Beach, the Santa Monica Pier and Torrance and 63 at Long Beach Airport.

Thursday's forecast highs include 41 at Mount Wilson, 53 in Lancaster and Palmdale, 58 in Burbank and Saugus, 59 in Pasadena and San Gabriel, 60 in Woodland Hills, 62 in downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach and 63 at Los Angeles International Airport.