Cold winter storm system brings blizzard warning to parts of Southern California

It's effective from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday when near-zero visibility is expected because of heavy snow and winds gusting up to 75 mph.

An unusually strong and cold winter storm system will descend on Southern California this week, bringing significant rain, powerful winds and heavy snow to the region, forecasters say.

The storm, and an accompanying steep drop in temperatures, is likely to bring snow to unusually low elevations across the state later this week, including parts of Southern California, the National Weather Service said. An enormous trough of low pressure centered over the western U.S.  is tapping into cold air from the north and bringing it further south.

“There is a really strong storm system that will be racing down the West Coast,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Elizabeth Schenk. “It’s a super dynamic system that is pulling a lot of cold weather from the north.”

Powerful winds were expected in much of the region late Tuesday, Feb. 21, with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour in the coasts and valleys, according to the NWS forecast.

Mountains may see wind gusts of 100 miles per hour, with the strongest coming Tuesday night into Wednesday. The threat of strong winds prompted a gale warning predicting 35-45 knot wind gusts over coastal waters and wave heights peaking at 13-22 feet. Los Angeles waters could see 10-foot waves Tuesday through Thursday.

Temperatures will be significantly lower across the region, dipping 10 to 20 degrees below average. Some areas, such as San Bernardino and Santa Clarita, will see nighttime lows in the mid-30s. Temperatures will likely not break the mid-50s in any area for several days.

Areas around 2,000 feet in elevation and above in the Inland Empire could begin to see a mix of rain and snow as soon as Tuesday night. Lower-elevation areas in Los Angeles will see light rain into Wednesday. The mountains could see several feet of snow accumulation.

“It’s hard to put an upper limit on the snow,” Schenk said. “It’s a really remarkable system.”

As the storm moved in, waves could be seen in Redondo Beach on Tuesday night and snow began to fall in the San Bernardino Mountains.

And it won’t end there. Once the first system leaves on Thursday, gusts will die down and an atmospheric river system will begin moving through over the weekend and into next week.

Precipitation may become widespread and steady Thursday afternoon, with high chances of precipitation through Saturday. Some areas could see up to 4.5 inches of rain, with a potential for over 5 inches of rain and snow in the mountains. Even the deserts could see two inches of rain.

Schenk recommended that Southern California residents take strong precautions to stay safe during the storm, including securing objects that could blow away, avoiding travel in high-precipitation areas, and the possibility of downed trees and electrical wires. Mountain travel will be very hazardous over the weekend.

Utilities including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison were preparing for possible outages on Tuesday as the wind began. A representative from SCE recommended that customers take precautions like using surge protectors and filling up gas tanks in case power goes out for an extended period of time.

Maps of power outages for LADWP, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric can be viewed online.