A cold winter storm that brought rain and snow to Southern California forced road closures overnight, including the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles the Cajon Pass.
A cold winter storm that moved into Southern California Christmas night will continue into Thursday with snow in the mountain passes and flooding on city streets likely to impact post-holiday travelers.
“Today is the last day we have to deal with this, then we start to see some drying,” said NBC4 forecaster Belen De Leon.
It was snowing in the busy Grapevine and Cajon passes in the overnight hours. Both the 5 Freeway north of LA and the 15 Freeway between the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains were closed.
No time of estimated reopening was immediately available.
Light snow was reported in the Cajon pass, although NBCLA meteorologist David Biggar predicted it would get worse and urged drivers to avoid the area.
Flooding was an additional concern in several counties. Flooding closed lanes on the northbound 5 Freeway at the 110 Freeway.
Flood Advisories were issued for Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties.
The storm was powerful enough to drop record rain in some areas, including the Long Beach Airport, where 1.03″ fell.
Late Wednesday, unusual tornado warnings were also issued due to rotating thunderstorms within the line of rain.
A tornado warning was issued for parts of Santa Barbara County until 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, and was later canceled as the storm weakened in the area.
A second tornado warning was issued for western Orange County around midnight Thursday morning, but was canceled shortly afterward as the storm eased, leaving behind heavy rainfall.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the mountains, including the Grapevine & Cajon Pass, until Thursday night with snow totals of 3 to 24 inches possible, depending on elevation. Travel through the major mountain passes will be difficult or impossible, and drivers are urged to stay off the roads or take alternate routes if possible.
Those that must be on the roads are asked to be prepared, pack plenty of patience and drive safely. Chains will be needed if driving into the mountains, but meteorologist David Biggar said the best time to head to the mountains will be after the storm, possibly Friday or the weekend.
Road closures were prompted very early Thursday due to the snow and flooding.
Highway 138 between Phelan and the 15 Freeway was closed due to heavy snow.
The 710 Freeway was completely closed at the 91 Freeway due to flooding early Thursday morning, with no estimate of a time of reopening.
High Desert residents will be waking up to snow over the desert floor Thursday.
This storm clears out Friday morning, followed by a return to normal temperatures and sunshine over the weekend.
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Source: NBC Los Angeles
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