201911.27
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Winter storm whips through Southern California, coating mountain routes with snow

by in News

A winter storm brought rain and even snow to some areas of Southern California early Wednesday, setting the stage for a cold Thanksgiving – and a tough commute for holiday travelers.

By around 8 a.m., hillsides and overpasses near the 5 Freeway snaking through the Grapevine were coated with snow. Throughout the day, the California Highway Patrol dispatched units to escort commuters through the icy conditions.

In San Bernardino County, cold winds whipped through the Cajon Pass and a light rain was falling. By the afternoon, rain turned to snow in nearby Wrightwood, and travel was only possible with tire chains.

  • Traffic moves north along the I-5 freeway near Tejon, CA Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was escorting traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • A dramatic sky opens up between snow squalls along the I-5 freeway near Gorman, CA Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was escorting traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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  • A dramatic sky opens up between snow squalls along the I-5 freeway near Gorman, CA Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was escorting traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • A woman crosses Topanga Canyon Blvd. at Roscoe Blvd. in Canoga Park, CA. as a car splashes its way through the intersection on a rainy Wednesday, November 27, 2019. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • A man rides his bicycle along Sherman Way in Canoga Park, CA. on a rainy Wednesday, November 27, 2019. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • Snow falls on the I-5 freeway at the Tejon Pass as travelers try to get in and out of Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was guiding traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • Snow falls on the I-5 freeway at the Tejon Pass as travelers try to get in and out of Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was guiding traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • A plow runs along the I-5 freeway at the Tejon Pass as travelers try to get in and out of Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was guiding traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • CHP guides traffic along the I-5 freeway at the Tejon Pass as travelers try to get in and out of Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 27, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • Snow falls on the I-5 freeway at the Tejon Pass as travelers try to get in and out of Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Plows were running and CHP was guiding traffic in an attempt to keep the freeway open as long as possible. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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Wednesday’s cold and wet morning was the front tip of an unseasonably frigid storm sweeping through the Los Angeles region.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday’s high temperature in Anaheim was only 59 degrees, breaking the “cold high” record of 63 degrees in 2016.

By the afternoon, a massive band of rain had mostly passed over the area headed eastward. But the cold wet conditions continued and will pick up again Thursday.

“This system is not moving out of the area — we have another cold front coming up from the south, and the two systems are kind of merging,” said Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “So tomorrow, we’ll have rain and cold everywhere again.”

The NWS said residents could expect 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in the coasts and valleys through Friday. Rain levels in the foothills and mountains could reach 2 to 4 inches.

Meteorologists said the “unstable” storm could produce bouts of thunder, as well as “brief heavy downpours, small hail, and even isolated waterspouts over the ocean.”

Mountain passes in particular will continue to be treacherous throughout the week, where more snow was expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Most mountain areas will get 6 to 12 inches of snow. Some areas in the highest elevations could get as many as 24 inches. The snow level was expected to fall from 5,000 to 7,000 feet in the morning to 3,000 feet Wednesday night, the NWS said.

Phillips said anyone headed out of the area through the Grapevine or the Cajon Pass could encounter difficult driving on Thanksgiving Day — if you haven’t left already, it might be too late.

“If you’re going to be driving over any passes, I would say that if you could leave (Wednesday) that would be advisable,” she said. “You definitely don’t want to be driving over the mountains in this rainfall.”

Some mountain roads were already closed Wednesday. In the Angeles National Forest, rangers said parts of the Angeles Forest Highway, Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Upper Big Tujunga were shut down at starting at noon. Caltrans said Highway 2 was closed from Grassy Hollow to Islip Saddle (west of Mountain High Ski Resort toward Los Angeles) until further notice.

Chains were required or advised on many mountain roads.

Anyone traveling throughout the Los Angeles area Thursday morning will face hazards as well — meteorologists warned drivers to watch out for slick roads and freeways, and even isolated flooding.

Flash flood watches were issued in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties on Wednesday morning. Winter storm warnings were issued for areas including the Angeles, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests.

Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center on Altadena Drive in Pasadena was closed Wednesday due to heavy rain and flash flood concerns, Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation announced. The closure could extend into Thursday.

The NWS said travel on Thursday “could be very difficult to impossible” in some areas, warning of road closures, and downed tree branches and power lines.

Mariners, too, should consider staying in port, forecasters said. A small craft advisory for inexperienced mariners with small vessels was issued Wednesday, and could return Thursday.

The conditions Wednesday led to closures, crashes and swift water rescues across the L.A. area on Wednesday.

Disneyland was forced to close an hour early at 11 p.m. Disney California Adventure closed at 10 p.m. Knott’s Berry Farm said it would close at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

In Atwater Village north of Downtown L.A., firefighters needed boats and a helicopter to rescue a man clinging to a tree branch as the swollen L.A. River raged below.

Among weather-related traffic mishaps, in Lake Elsinore, a sedan fell 100 feet down an embankment after the driver lost control on the rain-slickened 15 Freeway on Wednesday afternoon, CHP officials said. The driver escaped injury.

Another driver escaped serious injury Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle crashed through a fence and into a drainage ditch in Fullerton in the area of Malvern Avenue and Bastanchury Road. “As rain falls across the Southland, remember to slow down and drive carefully,” Fullerton Police commented on social media.

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As rain falls across the southland, remember to slow down and drive carefully. Eastbound Malvern is closed at Bastanchury due to a traffic collision. Please avoid the area for the next two hours. #SigAlert #DriveSafe

A post shared by Fullerton Police Department (@fullerton_pd) on

Anyone thinking of braving freezing ocean waters at the beach over the next few days was also advised to reconsider — public health officials in L.A. and Orange counties warned beach-goers not to swim near storm drains and creeks and rivers that will likely continue discharging garbage, chemicals and bacteria for several days after the rains.

“Individuals who enter the water in these areas could become ill,” L.A. County officials said in their warning.