Grab your winter jackets, California. Cold weather is coming this weekend
Spring is nearly a month old but it’s about to feel like winter as another Pacific storm is expected to bring rain and snowfall across the state — the latest in a series of soggy weekends.
Angelenos were just beginning to get a taste of springtime warmth, especially on Tuesday, when temperatures hit a peak of 77 degrees in the city. But a storm front that is moving into Southern California on Friday night is expected to bring downright chilly temperatures throughout Los Angeles County, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.
“Temperatures are going to drop pretty drastically,” Schoenfeld said of Saturday’s frigid weather. “Temperatures are going to struggle to even break into the 60s for most areas. Some areas [will even stay] in the upper 50s.”
That cold weather coupled with gusts of up to 25 to 40 mph across the state will make for a wet and chilly weekend for L.A. County residents as the National Weather Service predicts the region will record anywhere from a quarter-inch to an inch of rain.
The mountainous regions near the Sierra Nevada and Mammoth Lakes will receive 4 to 8 inches of snow in the upper peaks ranging from 6,000 to 8,500 feet elevation. The snowfall is expected to push water levels to 123% of normal for this season, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Edan Lindaman.
Reno meteorologists typically no longer closely watch the snowpack after April 1 because Lindaman said the warmer spring weather makes it hard for snow to substantially accumulate. But in recent years, cold spring storms have become more common.
Stabilization efforts are expected to begin Tuesday on the stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur where a chunk of roadway fell into the ocean last month.
“Last year we had several more systems that actually brought quite a few more snow and rain showers and kept things cooler and wetter, even through May and into June,” Lindaman said. “So this kind of variability is pretty common, especially for springtime.”
Lindaman warned mountaineers to be wary of road conditions as any snowpack might affect their drive, although the concern has not risen to the level of an official advisory warning for the weekend.
EMTs and hospital staff confirm they are seeing a rise in the number and severity of ski injuries. Among the reasons they cite: the rise of selfie culture and a recklessness that set in post-pandemic.
A landslide near Big Sur caused by heavy winter rains will close Highway 1 to motorists Saturday because of the approaching storm.
Roger Gass, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the Bay Area, said there’s always a chance the wet weather could exacerbate existing landslide threats “as soil moisture remains very saturated.”
“Pay attention to the roadways if you’re driving into hilly terrain,” Gass said, adding that “the larger threat of flooding concerns are minimal.”
In Southern California, Schoenfeld said there’s a 10% to 20% possibility of thunderstorms that could bring heavy rains and flash flooding to areas.
“But there’s no particular area of concern at this moment,” Schoenfeld said. “We’re not expecting widespread issues like that.”
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