Frigid Southwest storm to drench region with flooding rains and heavy snow through Friday
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 25, 2019 3:50 PM EST
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon turned into a winter wonderland on Dec. 24, as snow blanketed the area.
A potent storm is causing travel nightmares as it unleashes heavy rainfall and burying snow from Southern California to the Four Corners states. The storm has already brought record-breaking rainfall to Los Angeles while clogging roadways in the higher terrain with snow.
A weak system preceding the more powerful storm brought wintry scenes to northern Arizona on Christmas Eve. Even more snow is forecast to pile up at the end of this week.
"Significant travel and retail delays are expected across the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
The heaviest rainfall drenched Los Angeles and San Diego on Christmas night with over one inch recorded in both of these cities.
As heavy rain came ashore Christmas night, some locales even broke daily record rainfall amounts. The Long Beach airport broke their daily rainfall record just before midnight on Christmas, picking up 1.03 inches of rainfall.
Flooding was reported in some areas as the heavy rain poured down.
The potency of the storm system even prompted tornado warnings to be issued for some coastal communities. No confirmed tornadoes have been reported.
For Southern California, Thursday is expected to be the busiest travel day following Christmas, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The rain lingering into the early afternoon is likely to add to the slowdowns on the roadways.
Motorists should keep an eye out for roads that may be closed due to flooding or blocked by debris.
"Skiers and snowboarders will be happy at the resorts as a beneficial snow is expected," Roys said.
The fresh powder on the slopes will come with the caveat of slippery to even dangerous travel.
The Los Angeles County Public Works urged residents on Twitter to be cautious around the wintry and icy conditions in the region. The County Sheriff's Department also opened winter shelter programs this week to help residents who can't escape the cold.
As heavy snow fell across the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles Wednesday night, officials made the decision to close the highway after dozens of vehicles were stuck on the roadway.
When snow piles up at a fast enough rate to strand motorists, make sure to have a winter weather emergency kit in your car if you need to travel.
As the storm tracks eastward into Friday, rain and snow will slowly wind down across Southern California, while picking up in intensity over the Four Corners states.
Phoenix will be dampened by rain at times as temperatures are held in the middle 50s F for a high on Friday, about 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal.
Travel in and around Flagstaff, Arizona, is expected to be difficult with up to a foot of snow forecast to fall from late Thursday through Friday.
Similar snowfall totals can occur farther east as the storm ejects out of the Rockies and onto the High Plains by the weekend.
A stretch of more settled weather will then move into Southern California and the Desert Southwest in the wake of the storm.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring the potential for yet another storm to dive southward into the region as 2019 ends.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Frigid Southwest storm to drench region with flooding rains and heavy snow through Friday
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 25, 2019 3:50 PM EST
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon turned into a winter wonderland on Dec. 24, as snow blanketed the area.
A potent storm is causing travel nightmares as it unleashes heavy rainfall and burying snow from Southern California to the Four Corners states. The storm has already brought record-breaking rainfall to Los Angeles while clogging roadways in the higher terrain with snow.
A weak system preceding the more powerful storm brought wintry scenes to northern Arizona on Christmas Eve. Even more snow is forecast to pile up at the end of this week.
"Significant travel and retail delays are expected across the region," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
The heaviest rainfall drenched Los Angeles and San Diego on Christmas night with over one inch recorded in both of these cities.
As heavy rain came ashore Christmas night, some locales even broke daily record rainfall amounts. The Long Beach airport broke their daily rainfall record just before midnight on Christmas, picking up 1.03 inches of rainfall.
Flooding was reported in some areas as the heavy rain poured down.
The potency of the storm system even prompted tornado warnings to be issued for some coastal communities. No confirmed tornadoes have been reported.
For Southern California, Thursday is expected to be the busiest travel day following Christmas, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The rain lingering into the early afternoon is likely to add to the slowdowns on the roadways.
Motorists should keep an eye out for roads that may be closed due to flooding or blocked by debris.
Related:
"Skiers and snowboarders will be happy at the resorts as a beneficial snow is expected," Roys said.
The fresh powder on the slopes will come with the caveat of slippery to even dangerous travel.
The Los Angeles County Public Works urged residents on Twitter to be cautious around the wintry and icy conditions in the region. The County Sheriff's Department also opened winter shelter programs this week to help residents who can't escape the cold.
As heavy snow fell across the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles Wednesday night, officials made the decision to close the highway after dozens of vehicles were stuck on the roadway.
When snow piles up at a fast enough rate to strand motorists, make sure to have a winter weather emergency kit in your car if you need to travel.
As the storm tracks eastward into Friday, rain and snow will slowly wind down across Southern California, while picking up in intensity over the Four Corners states.
Phoenix will be dampened by rain at times as temperatures are held in the middle 50s F for a high on Friday, about 10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal.
Travel in and around Flagstaff, Arizona, is expected to be difficult with up to a foot of snow forecast to fall from late Thursday through Friday.
Similar snowfall totals can occur farther east as the storm ejects out of the Rockies and onto the High Plains by the weekend.
A stretch of more settled weather will then move into Southern California and the Desert Southwest in the wake of the storm.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring the potential for yet another storm to dive southward into the region as 2019 ends.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo