Winter storm drops rain in Los Angeles, 2 feet of snow in Sierra Nevada

As a rainstorm moved out of Southern California to make way for warmer conditions, snow blanketed parts of the Sierra Nevada with up to 24 inches of new accumulation Thursday.

The weight of the fresh powder triggered an avalanche on at least one snowy mountainside in Alpine Meadows near Lake Tahoe, the California Highway Patrol in Truckee reported.

Preliminary snowfall reports showed at least 24 inches in the last 24 hours at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe. Another 14 to 20 inches were reported at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. Truckee received about 13 inches.

Up to 12 inches of snow fell at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.

Powerful winds with up to 70 mph gusts whipped through the Kern County mountains.

Meanwhile, scattered showers continued to fall on Los Angeles County on Thursday morning. But the rain won’t stick around for long and dry conditions will return.

A cold front swept over Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Ventura counties overnight, producing three hours of steady light rain, according to the National Weather Service. More than half an inch of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles, while the mountains of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and L.A. counties received more than an inch of precipitation.

By Thursday afternoon, the storm will move east and out of the area.

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Temperatures will hover in the 60s for most of the day, with a slight warming Friday.

Rainy conditions led to some dangerous road conditions in L.A. County on Wednesday night.

In Arleta, a driver was killed about 6:28 p.m. when his pickup crashed into a transformer, which fell onto the truck, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Department of Water and Power crews worked to de-energize the transformer in the 13700 block of West Osborne Street so firefighters could safely reach the driver and remove him from his vehicle.

The rain prompted a health advisory for local beaches until 5 p.m. Saturday. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health warned that coastal waters could be contaminated by runoff from the storm.

By Saturday, forecasters say a high-pressure system building over Nevada will bring gusty winds and warm temperatures, which will continue through early next week.

Forecasters expect dry conditions through February, with more rainfull by early March.

Here’s a sampling of rainfall totals for the area through 7 a.m. for this storm.

Alhambra: 0.78 inches
Avalon: 0.50 inches
Bel Air: 0.75 inches
Beverly Hills: 0.77 inches
Claremont: 0.66 inches
Culver City: 0.56 inches
Hollywood Reservoir: 0.59 inches
Long Beach: 0.53 inches
Mt. Baldy: 1.22 inches
Pasadena: 0.79 inches
Redondo Beach: 0.70 inches
Santa Monica Pier: 0.39 inches

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA

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