The robust, chilly storm that blasted damaging Santa Ana winds throughout the Southland on Thursday modified course in a single day, dumping as much as a foot of snow on San Bernardino County’s highest peaks and threatening thunderstorms all through a lot of Southern California.
By early Friday, Snow Valley and Bear Mountain resorts had already acquired 12 and 13 inches of snow, respectively, and forecasters count on a number of extra inches to fall by the tip of the day.
“They may find yourself with 15, 16 inches of snow in a number of the 7,500-foot elevations,” mentioned Alex Tardy, a Nationwide Climate Service meteorologist in San Diego. “It’s vital, particularly for March.”
The storm was additionally threatening extreme, albeit remoted, thunderstorms Friday afternoon and night throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Forecasters warned that such storms — whose timing and placement are tough to foretell — might once more convey excessive winds, hail and minor flooding.
A 20% to 30% probability for showers and thunderstorms would persist via Sunday, climate officers mentioned.
Scattered showers have been additionally anticipated via Saturday for inland areas of San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties beneath the snow ranges, with thunderstorms additionally attainable.
However the storm’s largest problem Friday remained the heavy snow, which triggered faculty closures in a number of the hardest-hit areas.
Rim of the World Unified College District canceled all courses Friday “resulting from high-elevation snow and dangerous highway circumstances,” in accordance with the district’s web site, and all however one faculty in Bear Valley Unified did the identical.
Areas close to Idyllwild received about 5 inches early Friday and even Mount Laguna in San Diego County recorded 3 inches, in accordance to the most recent counts. Elevations as little as 4,000 ft, together with Garner Valley close to Hemet and in Julian in San Diego County, noticed about an inch of snow.
As snow continued to fall Friday afternoon, Tardy mentioned one other 1 to five inches could be doubtless, with greater quantities at greater elevations. Many of the snowfall is predicted via Friday night, however he mentioned some might stick round Saturday.
“We’ve seen the coldest and worst half to the storm,” Tardy mentioned Friday morning. He mentioned the heaviest snowfall started about 9 p.m. Thursday via 4 a.m., when 1 to 2 inches fell per hour on Huge Bear and different locations.
A winter storm warning stays in impact for the San Bernardino and Riverside county mountains above 5,500 ft via 6 p.m., warning of heavy snow and winds gusting as much as 45 mph.
“The storm that introduced the wind yesterday moved proper over Southern California,” Tardy mentioned. As a result of it got here in from the east — versus off the Pacific, like many methods that hit the Southland — it was initially dry and chilly — bringing robust winds with out precipitation.
“As soon as the storm settled over the realm, it wrapped up moisture from the south and introduced it again into the realm,” Tardy mentioned, thus the snow.
The worst of the robust winds have subsided, however a lot of Los Angeles County remained beneath a wind advisory till 11 a.m. Friday with some lingering offshore circulation, Tardy mentioned. Gusts Friday have been anticipated to attain as much as 45 or 50 mph in a number of the area’s windiest corridors, together with the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains and alongside the Grapevine — however that’s nonetheless a lot decrease than Thursday’s highest gusts. The highest speeds hit 86 mph at Magic Mountain Truck Path east of Santa Clarita and 87 at Marshall Peak close to Crestline, in accordance to the Nationwide Climate Service.
Damaging winds additionally remained a priority throughout the southern Sierra, with a excessive wind warning in impact via 5 p.m. for Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite nationwide parks, and alongside the higher San Joaquin River.
