A winter storm will deliver a final blast of cold and snow in the mountains Wednesday as it slowly moves out of Southern California.
The final round of snow from the late February storm forced the closure of the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles early Wednesday. The road is closed from the Los Angeles and Kern county line to the junction of State Route 99 and Grapevine Road due to snow and ice.
Light showers are possible at lower elevations, but the the chance of precipitation is gradually decreasing.
As for temperatures, the SoCal will remain in the grip of a late February cold snap with gusty winds blowing across the region.
A winter weather advisory will be in effect until noon Wednesday in the Los Angeles County Mountains and the Antelope Valley. The mountains could see snow accumulating up to 3 inches, with 5 inches possible in some localized areas and the snow level falling as low as 2,000 feet Wednesday morning.
The snowy conditions will be accompanied by winds gusting up to 45 mph. Gusts reached 68 mph in Sierra Pelona West and 62 mph at the Ford Observatory. They were 58 mph in Lake Palmdale and 56 mph at Katee Lane in the Antelope Valley on Tuesday.
This is the coldest storm that we have seen so far this winter season. During the overnight and early Thursday, temperatures in the 20s and 30s will be widespread.
The Antelope Valley (14) Freeway could be impacted by snow and ice, as well as the Golden State (5) Freeway from the Grapevine to Castaic. The California Highway Patrol was escorting drivers over the 5 Freeway Grapevine section early Wednesday before it was completely shut down.
The Antelope Valley could received as much as an inch of snow on the valley floor, with up to 2 inches falling in the foothills. Winds will also gust through that area, reaching up to 40 mph.
In Orange County, a wind advisory will also in place until 6 p.m. for Orange County coastal and inland areas, while a winter weather advisory will be in effect until noon in the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills.
A hard freeze warning goes into effect Wednesday night for parts of the Inland Empire, where temperatures will be in the low 20s.
“If you think it’s cold this morning, it’s going to be near freezing Thursday morning,” said De Leon.
Drier weather is expected on Thursday, along with a slight warming trend that will
last into the weekend.
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Source: NBC Los Angeles