Rare blizzard warning issued for Los Angeles area, officials say: California weather updates

[Hamartia Antidote]

LOL! Preparing the "hell hath frozen over" jokes...

Rare blizzard warning issued for Los Angeles area, officials say: California weather updates

A rare blizzard warning was issued for the mountains above the city of Los Angeles as winter weather weather swarmed much of California Wednesday.

www.usatoday.com

Blizzards and winter weather are overtaking parts of Southern California, a region most known for its inviting weather.

Snow and freezing temperatures are expected throughout much of the state over the next few days, with advisories in effect in the Bay Area near San Francisco and further north through to the state line, according to the National Weather Service.

Californians join the more than 20 million Americans under winter storm warnings and 35 million people across the country under winter weather advisories this week, according to NWS.

Here’s what you need to know about California’s winter weather.

Blizzard warnings in the mountains over Los Angeles​

Los Angeles and Ventura County residents living in mountains above the city of Los Angeles were advised to travel only for emergencies Wednesday morning as the area expected wind gusts up to 75 mph to whip in heavy snow and virtually eliminate any visibility. The blizzard and winter storm warnings, in effect until Saturday afternoon morning, said 2 to 7 feet of snow was expected to accumulate by Saturday night, with up to 12 inches at higher elevations.

Some areas also expected rains on Thursday and Friday. The Los Angeles NWS said Wednesday it knew of only one other blizzard warning issued for the area, in 1989.

Light snow had begun to fall on the Interstate 5 Grapevine mountain pass connecting the Los Angeles area to central California, the weather service said.