Blizzard Warnings. Whiteout watches. Avalanche threats. The warnings are surprisingly unusual for Southern California, a region typically defined by its sunshine, palm trees and temperate weather.
But Los Angeles and other nearby counties are gearing up for a blizzard the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades — or possibly ever.
“This could be very substantial,” said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain. “In fact, it could be a historically significant snowfall for parts of the mountains in Southern California. This pit may be the largest single snowfall in some parts of Southern California since the 1980s. This is a big problem.”
The storm, which has already wreaked havoc in some parts of Northern California, is expected to gain strength as it makes landfall in Southern California early Friday.
The “highly dynamic” system is likely to bring heavy rains, high winds, thunderstorms and possible localized flooding to areas in and around Los Angeles, Swain said. In the mountains of LA and Ventura County, snow levels can be as low as 1,500 feet — about the height of the Hollywood sign, where residents reported a wintry mix had already landed Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a very rare event,” said Jeff Zarrinnam, president of the Hollywood Sign Trust, who snowballed under the world-famous landmark.
While the storm is unusual, it isn’t the first time Southern California has seen snow.
Similar winter conditions occurred in 1989—the first and only other time the weather service issued a blizzard warning in the LA area—when Tom Bradley was mayor of LA and gasoline sold for about $1 a gallon. That storm dropped up to 2 inches in parts of the San Fernando and Simi valleys, and snow was reported “from the hills of Malibu to the streets of Palm Springs,” The Times reported at the time.
Snow also appeared in 2019, 2007, 1998, 1987 and 1974, according to Times archives. In 1962, heavy snow fell in the mountains and high deserts and dusty parts of downtown and West Los Angeles before melting quickly.
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Perhaps the most famous blizzard was in January 1949, when several inches piled up in the region over several days. Times articles of the time described 14 inches of snow on Ventura Boulevard near Woodland Hills, a foot in Laurel Canyon, and flashes of light around the LA Civic Center.
“The Times telephone exchange received numerous calls from residents from all parts of the city reporting what they described as winter scenes ‘just like in the east,'” read a 1949 story.
Vehicles on I-5 during the 1974 blizzard near Newhall.
(John Malmin/Los Angeles Times)
However, what makes the current system so remarkable is the potential snowfall totals in the mountains around Los Angeles, which can exceed 3 or 4 feet in a 48-hour period, or as much as 8 feet on high peaks. The forecast is so important that Mt. Baldy Resort, where most winters don’t get enough snow to exploit all of its slopes, has closed its slopes.
“There is a major storm system heading into the area,” resort officials wrote in a post on Instagram. “Not only is it big, some are calling it a potential national record-setter.”
Forecasters say nearly 40 inches of fresh powder on Mt. Baldy and other high altitude areas can fall. Even places that don’t normally have snow should get some powder, including up to 12 inches at elevations between 2,500 and 4,000 feet, and up to 4 inches at elevations between 1,500 and 2,500 feet.
This has been announced by the National Weather Service blizzard warnings from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday in the mountains of Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino County, where heavy snow, strong gusts of wind and “near zero visibility” are likely. A flood watch is also in effect in parts of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles through Saturday, with peak rainfall rates of 0.75 inches per hour possible.
“What’s really amazing are the snow totals that are projected for the mountains in Southern California and the southern Sierra Nevada,” Swain said.
Climatologist William Patzert said several factors must come together for such a rare occurrence in Los Angeles.
Although many winter storms move up the Sierra’s spine and lose their moisture by the time they reach Southern California, the incoming low-pressure system moves down the coast of Canada, where it’s packed with moisture from the Pacific Ocean, he said.
The cold temperatures and strong, moist winds coming off the Pacific Ocean “are the ingredients for blizzards for California,” Patzert said.
He said this winter’s unusual pattern of “extreme volatility” could be linked to fluctuations in the jet stream that began around December. The jet stream is the airflow in the upper level of the atmosphere that guides weather systems around the world.
The National Weather Service is advising residents to avoid traveling during the storm and to be prepared for possible power outages, fallen trees and other hazards, including an increased threat of avalanches.
While some Angelenos may be tempted to travel to mountain areas to seek out the snow, Swain cautioned that it’s probably best to stay home.
“This is not a weekend where you can go up and ski – no one will be able to get in or out, possibly for days,” he said. “If you live up there, be prepared for a phenomenal amount of snow. And if you don’t live there, realize that you won’t get there.
Patzert noted that while the storms may pose immediate danger, they are likely to be beneficial for drought recovery after several years of prolonged drought.
“In the short term it is dangerous, but in the long term we really needed this,” said Patzert.
“February,” he added, “came in like a lamb, but goes out like a lion.”
Times staff writer Terry Castleman and researchers Scott Wilson and Cary Schneider contributed to this report.
