Last night, Angelenos enjoying Bob’s Burgers on FXX saw an unusual bit of animation, even for those accustomed to the unexpected antics of the Belcher family. A chyron appeared across the bottom of the TV screen that read “Blizzard Warning.” It continued with a message that even longtime L.A. residents have never seen before: “The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for the following California Counties: Ventura, Los Angeles. Effective until February 22, 3:56 AM PST.”
According to the National Weather Service, it’s one of the only Blizzard Warnings ever issued for the area, and the first in more than three decades. The alert presaged a dusting of snow in the Antelope Valley and Acton reported at about 10:40 p.m. by NBC4 meteorologist Melissa Magee. Other programming was interrupted by the warning as well, including the L.A. Kings-Minnesota Wild game on Bally Sports West.
A short time later, the National Weather Service issued a more extended Blizzard Warning for L.A. and Ventura counties from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday warning, “Snow accumulations up to 5 feet and wind gusts in excess of 55 mph are expected.”
Gusts this morning beyond that had already been reported, with Oxnard clocking in at 69 mph, Deer Creek in far northern Malibu at 68 mph and LAX at 54 mph as the forerunners of the storm system arrived. That’s approaching the 75 mph threshold for hurricane winds.
By 2:30 pm today, light snow had begun to fall in the Tejon Pass north of L.A. and graupel — which is also called soft hail, hominy snow, or snow pellets, and forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2–5 mm balls — was being seen in Pasadena.
Even local weathercasters were taken aback.
“I have to be totally honest,” said KCAL meteorologist Evelyn Taft on the station’s 10 p.m. broadcast last night, “I’ve actually never seen a Blizzard Warning…I’ve been here for almost 14 years now.”
“An unusual winter storm will approach the area Thursday and will then produce periods of heavy rain and heavy mountain snow to the region Friday through Saturday night,” NWS forecasters said.
Forecasters indicated up to 5 feet of snow could accumulate in the mountains, accompanied by wind gusts topping 55 mph. Higher elevations could see as much as 7 feet of snow, with accumulations of 6 to 12 inches possible at elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 feet, “including most major mountain passes.” Smaller accumulations could be seen between 1,000 and 1,500 feet, according to reports.
Ahead of the blizzard warning, a winter storm warning will be in effect until 4 a.m. Friday for the mountains, thanks to anticipated “low elevation snow, strong winds and very cold wind chills.” In the Antelope Valley, a winter weather advisory will be in effect until 4 a.m. Friday, with forecasters anticipating 3 to 6 inches of snow in the foothills and 1 to 3 inches on the valley floor, with winds gusting to 45 mph.
When the brunt of the storm begins to arrive Thursday, all major mountain passes will be at risk of snow, while other areas could get up to a half-inch of rain.
By Thursday night, however, things will begin to worsen.
“This system will bring a broad swath of moderate to locally heavy rain and snow (to) the area,” according to the NWS. “Snow levels will fluctuate quite a bit as the southerly flow will raise levels to about 4,500 feet briefly on Friday afternoon. This could create a mixture of rain/snow at the I-5 Grapevine area before precipitation turns back to all snow Friday evening. Rainfall rates will range from 0.50 to 1 inch per hour near the main precipitation band on Friday bringing a threat of urban flooding and issues near recent burn scars.”
Coastal and valley areas could get between 2 and 4 inches of rain during the storm. But snow will be the bigger story, with the low elevation snow contributing to what could be “the largest amount of 24-48 hour snowfall seen in decades, likely rivaling the 1989 storm, for our Ventura and Los Angeles County mountains,” according to the NWS.
That 1989 storm is the last time the lower L.A. basin has seen appreciable snowfall. According to an L.A. Times report from the time, “The snow that fell early Wednesday morning did not stick long in Malibu and Palm Springs, but as much as five inches piled up in Westlake, Porter Ranch, Calabasas, Simi Valley and Tarzana before beginning to melt.”
In 1949, an even stronger storm hit during which “more than half an inch of snow covered the Civic Center,” according to the Times archives. “The San Fernando Valley was pelted with the unfamiliar white stuff for three days, accumulating almost a foot.”
In 1932, it snowed in Hollywood.
“Snowfall of this rate and amount could lead to damage to structures and trees with an immense threat of avalanches, especially in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains by Saturday,” forecasters said.
Temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s in most of the area, although they will drop into the 30s in the mountains and some valley areas, particularly at night, and into the 20s in the Antelope Valley.
City News Service contributed to this report.