Winter storm pounds Southland
Low pressure delivers frigid temperatures, rain and snow throughout region
A winter storm brought more rain and snow to Southern California on Monday, prompting warnings of dangerous road conditions as frigid temperatures gripped the Sierra Nevada.
An area of low pressure just south of Point Conception in Santa Barbara County was spinning showers into the Southland, according to David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Parts of Los Angeles County, including downtown L.A. and Pasadena, recorded up to three-quarters of an inch of rain in the 48 hours to 10 a.m. Monday, according to totals from the National Weather Service.
Sepulveda Canyon saw more than eight-tenths of an inch of rain. In Ventura County, Camarillo topped nine-tenths of an inch. Northern Los Angeles County mountains recorded up to 4 feet of snow during the two-day period, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow was reported on the Grapevine early Monday, prompting the California Highway Patrol to escort traffic through the Tejon Pass.
By 10 a.m., the treacherous stretch of roadway had been cleared, officials said.
A winter storm advisory was in effect for the Antelope Valley through 10 p.m. Monday, warning of snow showers that could affect travel on Highway 138 in and around Palmdale.
“Very slippery and dan
gerous road conditions are expected,” the advisory said.
The cold air in the storm system was driving snow down to elevations as low as 2,500 feet, Sweet said.
“Anyone going to locations above 2,500 feet should prepare themselves,” Sweet said.
In the Lake Tahoe basin, officials were warning of dangerously cold temperatures Monday and into Tuesday.
Temperatures in much of the region were in the teens Sunday night and dropped below zero at a few locations, according to Dawn Johnson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nev.
The Truckee airport, just north of Lake Tahoe, recorded air temperatures Sunday night of 11 degrees — and an added wind chill could make conditions worse into Tuesday.
“Not only is the air temperature cold, but we’re going to see ... wind chills potentially reaching negative 20 to 35,” Johnson said.
People in the Lake Tahoe basin need to keep an eye on vulnerable populations, pets and livestock, she said, as well as the possibility of frozen pipes.
If people choose to risk being outdoors in the frigid weather, they need to be prepared for dangerous conditions.
“Frostbite can occur at a very short period of time,” Johnson said.