New storm could disrupt travel plans
Heavy rainfall is expected, and some mountain areas could see 2 feet of snow.
As you rest up from holiday festivities — including shopping the after-Christmas sales — brace yourself for some precarious travel conditions.
The National Weather Service predicted 1 to 2 inches of rain along the coast and in the valleys and up to 3 inches in the San Gabriel Mountains as the latest storm intensified overnight. A winter storm warning will be in effect for the Los Angeles Basin until 10 p.m. Thursday, the weather service said.
“If people are going to have to get on I-5 or are going through the mountain roads, there’s a strong potential for delays and closures,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Certain mountain areas could get as much as 2 feet of snow, leaving the Mountain High and Mt. Baldy ski resorts primed for great conditions. The Antelope Valley could receive up to 8 inches of snow. This heavy dumping could lead to whiteout conditions because of blowing snow, the weather service said.
“There’s going to be gusty east to southeast winds between 20 and 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. That means there will be snow, blowing wind, fog and low visibility,” said Tom Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a winter storm watch for the mountains of San Bernardino, Riverside and
San Diego counties from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Friday, warning of heavy snow that could affect the Cajon Pass, Ortega Highway and the Interstate 8 pass in San Diego County. The weather service also warned of possible delays on the Grapevine and highways 14 and 33 because of the snow.
The storm comes on the heels of a system that brought heavy rain — up to 3 inches in some areas of Southern California — on Sunday and Monday.
That storm led to recordbreaking rainfall in Long Beach, where 1.28 inches fell Monday. The previous record of 1.07 inches for the day was set in 2016, according to the weather service.
The downpour also made living conditions for migrants staying at a shelter close to the U.S.-Mexico border even more difficult Monday, as flooding and sewage backups soiled the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter.
“The stench burns your nostrils and makes you want to puke,” said Antonio Jaramillo, a Mexican migrant who is in Tijuana after being deported from the United States. “I’m pretty sure this happens every time it rains with the black water.”
The latest round of rain could exacerbate problems at the shelter, which has roughly 100 migrants staying in tents erected in a large indoor space.
The rain in Southern California is expected to taper off late Thursday, making way for clear skies through the weekend.
But don’t stash the umbrellas yet, as forecasters say more rain could arrive early next week.