Drought-busting precipitation brings rare snow to SoCal
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Dec 30, 2020 7:20 PM EST
The first winter storm of the year hit some parts of Southern California on Dec. 28, bringing a number of travelers their first-ever experience with snow.
For some residents of Southern California, the gift of a first snowfall came on Monday as a large storm rolled in from the coast.
"We're what, three hours from L.A.? Two hours from L.A.? This is crazy, do you see how big these are?" Long Beach Resident Suzy Caruana told ABC 7, gesturing to the large snowflakes falling around her.
"I'm headed up to Sacramento to visit my daughter and grandchildren, and I got this," Sophia Glover, a San Diego resident, told the news station, holding her palm up and out her parked car's window to catch the snow. "I'm enjoying it. I've never seen snow."
The storm would later push eastward, spilling into Arizona where a drone captured video of snowfall across Flagstaff. Maria Mendez, a resident of Yuma, Arizona, also caught her first glimpse of snow in person.
"Oh my god, I've never seen snow, this is my first time seeing snow, or touching it because in Arizona there's nothing but desert," she said.
A woman waits at a bus stop in the rain Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Rain, hail and snow fell Monday as Southern California saw its first significant storm of the season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The storm not only brought a rare glimpse of snow to parts of Southern California but also delivered the first significant rainfall for Southern California’s rainy season.
From the beginning of the rainy season on Oct. 1 to Dec. 27, downtown Los Angeles had only received 4% of normal rainfall. By the end of the day on Monday, Dec. 28, the rainfall had boosted the area to 52% of normal.
"[The storm] was the first major storm of the rainy season for the area," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said. "...The heaviest rain of 2 to 4 inches was common in the higher elevations of Santa Barbara County, but 1 to 2 inches inundated coast and valley areas from Santa Barbara southward through Orange County."
Downtown Los Angeles reported 1.81 on Dec. 28 alone, making it the wettest day of 2020 for the area to date.
While most areas across the Inland Empire also picked up an inch of rain, amounts were generally lower in San Diego County. The city of San Diego received about 0.57 of an inch; however, this is still the most rain they've seen since April, according to Houk.
Los Angeles International Airport recorded 1.63 inches, and Long Beach measured 1.49 inches on Monday. Other areas to receive buckets of rainfall included San Marcos Pass, which had 3.53 inches, Ballona Creek and Culver City -- both receiving 2.32 inches of rainfall as of 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, local time.
Earlier on Monday, the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles warned that burn scars from recent wildfires such as the Bobcat, Ranch 2, Dam and Lake fires could see minor or shallow debris flow with the flood advisory in effect for Los Angeles County.
By 2 p.m. PST, rainfall rates of 0.65 inches per hour were recorded at Le Carillo in Los Angeles County and 0.83 inches per hour at Lechuza Fire Station.
But the storm didn't stop at just rain. Social media users in areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties posted videos of hail pelting and coating their streets and cars with a layer of ice. Both of the counties have been experiencing a relatively moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Hail fell over areas of Southern California on Monday, including in Brea, California, where it nearly looked like snow. (Twitter/@billbumpus75)
"Not only did the storm bring heavy rain, which resulted in temporary urban flooding, but it also produced thunderstorms and mountain snow," Houk said. "The cold naure of the storm allowed snow in the mountains as low as 4,000 feet."
Amounts from 6 to 12 inches were common in the mountains around 5,000 feet, Houk added.
The snow left dozens of drivers caught out on the roads stranded in deep snow in areas like Mount Baldy, California. Around 100 drivers were stuck in a traffic jam in the area due to the winter storm, according to Storyful. The Mt. Baldy Fire Department tweeted that the heavy snow was falling with dangerous driving conditions in the area and bumper to bumper traffic as people tried to get off the mountain.
Meanwhile, the snow turned Big Bear Lake, California, into a winter wonderland and gave ski resorts like Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs, California, enough snow to break out the snowplow.
The storm has since continued eastward, set to move across southern Texas by Thursday, according to Houk. However, the storm sent moisture northeastward across the Plains Monday night, which will then converge with a storm farther to the north.
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News / Winter Weather
Drought-busting precipitation brings rare snow to SoCal
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Dec 30, 2020 7:20 PM EST
The first winter storm of the year hit some parts of Southern California on Dec. 28, bringing a number of travelers their first-ever experience with snow.
For some residents of Southern California, the gift of a first snowfall came on Monday as a large storm rolled in from the coast.
"We're what, three hours from L.A.? Two hours from L.A.? This is crazy, do you see how big these are?" Long Beach Resident Suzy Caruana told ABC 7, gesturing to the large snowflakes falling around her.
"I'm headed up to Sacramento to visit my daughter and grandchildren, and I got this," Sophia Glover, a San Diego resident, told the news station, holding her palm up and out her parked car's window to catch the snow. "I'm enjoying it. I've never seen snow."
The storm would later push eastward, spilling into Arizona where a drone captured video of snowfall across Flagstaff. Maria Mendez, a resident of Yuma, Arizona, also caught her first glimpse of snow in person.
"Oh my god, I've never seen snow, this is my first time seeing snow, or touching it because in Arizona there's nothing but desert," she said.
A woman waits at a bus stop in the rain Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Rain, hail and snow fell Monday as Southern California saw its first significant storm of the season. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The storm not only brought a rare glimpse of snow to parts of Southern California but also delivered the first significant rainfall for Southern California’s rainy season.
From the beginning of the rainy season on Oct. 1 to Dec. 27, downtown Los Angeles had only received 4% of normal rainfall. By the end of the day on Monday, Dec. 28, the rainfall had boosted the area to 52% of normal.
"[The storm] was the first major storm of the rainy season for the area," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said. "...The heaviest rain of 2 to 4 inches was common in the higher elevations of Santa Barbara County, but 1 to 2 inches inundated coast and valley areas from Santa Barbara southward through Orange County."
Downtown Los Angeles reported 1.81 on Dec. 28 alone, making it the wettest day of 2020 for the area to date.
While most areas across the Inland Empire also picked up an inch of rain, amounts were generally lower in San Diego County. The city of San Diego received about 0.57 of an inch; however, this is still the most rain they've seen since April, according to Houk.
Los Angeles International Airport recorded 1.63 inches, and Long Beach measured 1.49 inches on Monday. Other areas to receive buckets of rainfall included San Marcos Pass, which had 3.53 inches, Ballona Creek and Culver City -- both receiving 2.32 inches of rainfall as of 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, local time.
Earlier on Monday, the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles warned that burn scars from recent wildfires such as the Bobcat, Ranch 2, Dam and Lake fires could see minor or shallow debris flow with the flood advisory in effect for Los Angeles County.
By 2 p.m. PST, rainfall rates of 0.65 inches per hour were recorded at Le Carillo in Los Angeles County and 0.83 inches per hour at Lechuza Fire Station.
But the storm didn't stop at just rain. Social media users in areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties posted videos of hail pelting and coating their streets and cars with a layer of ice. Both of the counties have been experiencing a relatively moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Hail fell over areas of Southern California on Monday, including in Brea, California, where it nearly looked like snow. (Twitter/@billbumpus75)
"Not only did the storm bring heavy rain, which resulted in temporary urban flooding, but it also produced thunderstorms and mountain snow," Houk said. "The cold naure of the storm allowed snow in the mountains as low as 4,000 feet."
Amounts from 6 to 12 inches were common in the mountains around 5,000 feet, Houk added.
The snow left dozens of drivers caught out on the roads stranded in deep snow in areas like Mount Baldy, California. Around 100 drivers were stuck in a traffic jam in the area due to the winter storm, according to Storyful. The Mt. Baldy Fire Department tweeted that the heavy snow was falling with dangerous driving conditions in the area and bumper to bumper traffic as people tried to get off the mountain.
Meanwhile, the snow turned Big Bear Lake, California, into a winter wonderland and gave ski resorts like Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs, California, enough snow to break out the snowplow.
The storm has since continued eastward, set to move across southern Texas by Thursday, according to Houk. However, the storm sent moisture northeastward across the Plains Monday night, which will then converge with a storm farther to the north.
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