First blizzard warning in 30 years issued for Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – A rare Blizzard Warning has been issued for parts of Southern California as the next storm system is expected to crash ashore on Thursday.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, this is the first such warning for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties since 1989. The forecast calls for upwards of 5 feet of snow and wind gusts of more than 55 mph in the warned area. 

“Your eyes are not deceiving you, said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin. “All the way down in Southern California, that orange box is a Blizzard Warning that’s in effect for Friday morning until 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.”

The dynamic and unusual weather of heavy snow, strong wind, thunderstorms and bitter cold expected in The Golden State will likely last into the weekend. This comes as California reels from the impacts of the coast-to-coast storm traversing the country this week. 

After a brief lull, the next storm system will approach the region Thursday. This strong low-pressure system will linger off the coast through Saturday before finally moving on shore. This will lead to multiple days of impacts, such as record cold, low-elevation snow and heavy rain.

Snow

Impressive cold will lead to a significant lowering of snow levels. 

While snow above 3,000 feet is fairly common, snow levels for this event could drop as low as 1,000 feet, and maybe even 500 feet in some places. This would lead to snow in places that don’t usually see it, including the North Bay Mountains, Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range in the San Francisco Area. According to the FOX Forecast Center, San Francisco will see only rain from this event. 

For higher elevations above 3,000 feet, between 8 and 12 inches of snow can be expected. The Sierra Nevada mountain range could pick up 4 feet of snow. 

Strong winds

Winds will be gusty throughout most of the state as the system menders offshore. Valleys and lowlands will see gusts upwards of 30 mph, while high elevations and passes could see gusts upwards of 60 mph. 

Wind alerts have been issued for most of the state to cover this potential.

Thunderstorms

Just enough instability generated by the low-pressure system will likely allow thunderstorms to break out across California. 

These storms could produce small hail.

Bitter-cold temperatures

If the snow, thunderstorms and winds weren’t enough, the West will also see a significant blast of cold air with this system. 

Many record cold highs, which is the lowest high temperature, will be shattered both Wednesday and Thursday. This includes major metros like San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

This will equate to highs in the 30s and 40s, which is 10-20 degrees below average for this time of year.