Southern California continued Thursday to brace Thursday for a rare blizzard as a winter storm moved into the mountains above Los Angeles overnight.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said Wednesday the blizzard warning is believed to be the first issued for the area since 1989.
Winter weather and storm warnings also encompassed large swaths elsewhere in the state, which joined over 24 million people across more than two dozen states under blizzard, winter storm, wind chill and freeze warnings Thursday, according to the weather service.
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Rain, light snow prime Southern California for Friday blizzard
Several communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which sit just north of the city of Los Angeles, were under winter storm warnings Thursday ahead of the blizzard’s expected arrival early Friday morning. So far, those communities straddling Interstate 5, which connects Southern California to the central valley region, have seen about two to four inches of snowfall in the last 24 hours, according to the weather service.
The winter storm warning was expected to transition into a blizzard warning at 4 a.m. PT Friday.
Officials urged residents in the blizzard zone not to travel Friday as the area expected heavy, low-elevation snowfall and heavy wind up to 80 mph to create near blinding conditions.
Snow accumulations could reach one foot in areas at 2,000 to 4,000 feet of elevation, and two to five feet in areas above 4,000 feet, officials said.
“Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you,” the weather service warned. “If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.”
Blizzard warning extends to San Bernardino County mountains
The NWS office in San Diego said it had issued its first ever blizzard warning for the San Bernardino mountains, including the famous resort community in Big Bear Lake.
The warning would take effect beginning Friday at 4 a.m., the weather service said.
Between 3 to 5 feet of snow were forecasted for elevations at 5,000 feet above sea level and higher, with sustained winds of up to 35 mph and gusts potentially reaching 60 mph, according to the weather service.
Fog and heavy snow could reduce visibility to less than a quarter of a mile.
Winter storms engulf Northern California, surround Bay Area cities
Most of Northern California, stretching from the Bay area to the Oregon state line, was under a winter weather advisory Thursday morning. The NWS said its winter weather advisories would upgrade to winter storm warnings Thursday evening as it expected strong winds and snow to slap much of the region’s mountains.
In San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and other Bay Area cities, frost and freeze advisories warned of sub-freezing temperatures and gusts up to 50
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, Marina Pitofsky and Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY