California Braces for Major Winter Storm with Blizzard Conditions and Flood Warnings

A powerful and menacing winter storm is moving across California, bringing with it heaps of snow, strong winds, and intense flooding.^[0] The National Weather Service has issued a rare blizzard warning for the Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino county mountains from 4 a.m.^[1] 4 p.m^[2] Saturday, as well as a flash-flood warning for the valleys and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.^[3] Forecasters warned of heavy snowfall, strong wind gusts of up to 80 mph, near zero visibility, and the potential for 5 feet of snow to accumulate in the mountains above 4,000 feet.

The weather service also issued a flood watch for portions of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles until Saturday, with peak rain rates of 0.75 of an inch per hour possible.^[4] Higher elevations could see up to 8 feet of snow, with accumulations of 6 to 12 inches possible at elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 feet, including most major mountain passes.

The storm has already left a mess in Northern California and is expected to gain strength as it arrives in Southern California.^[5] Evacuation warnings were issued in Ventura County for areas hit hard by last month's storms, and a low of 41 degrees was recorded at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday, tying the record low for the date set in 2019.^[6]

The winter storm warning is in effect through 3 p.m.^[7] Officials are asking people to refrain from travelling in the mountains on Saturday.^[8] California's epic snowfall event also comes as a separate formidable winter storm tore through the Midwest, leaving thousands of people without power and leading to cancelled flights and road closures.^[9]

A potential landspout has been forecasted for Friday night in the areas of Ojai, Mira Monte, Oak View, Oxnard, Buenaventura, and Port Hueneme, prompting a special weather statement.^[3] A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley until 10:45 p.m. with gusty winds up to 60 miles per hour and possible hail.^[10] The agency warned that travel in the region will be “very difficult to impossible” with hazardous conditions likely to affect the morning and evening commute.^[11]

For the foreseeable future, meteorologists anticipate bursts of heavy precipitation, snowfall in lower altitudes, hazardous circumstances near the shoreline and blizzards in certain nearby mountain ranges.^[10]

0. “SoCal Weather Photos: Scenes From the Late-February Winter Storm” NBC Southern California, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.nbclosangeles.com/weather-news/socal-weather-photos-scenes-from-the-late-february-winter-storm/3101750

1. “West hit by winter storm as California sees rare blizzard warning” Fox News, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/west-hit-winter-storm-california-rare-blizzard-warning

2. “San Bernardino County mountains brace for storm to dump up to 5 feet of snow amid blizzard warning” KABC-TV, 23 Feb. 2023, https://abc7.com/san-bernardino-mountains-blizzard-snow/12867381/

3. “Live updates: Flash Flood Warning issued for Los Angeles County” KTLA Los Angeles, 25 Feb. 2023, https://ktla.com/news/local-news/live-updates-winter-storm-wallops-southern-california-with-heavy-rain-snow/

4. “Snowballs at the Hollywood sign: Does it signal the biggest SoCal snow event in decades?” Yahoo! Voices, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/now/snowballs-hollywood-sign-does-signal-130010111.html

5. “Blizzards, thunderstorms, flash flooding: Southern California braces for a wild weather weekend” Fox Weather , 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/blizzards-thunderstorms-flash-flooding-southern-california-weekend

6. “‘A historic event’: US storm triggers first blizzard warning for Los Angeles since 1989” The Guardian, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2023/feb/24/snow-california-los-angeles-west-coast-midwest

7. “Snow Totals: Storm Dumps Nearly 2 Feet on San Diego Mountains With More on the Way From Atmospheric River” NBC San Diego, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/storm-could-dump-up-to-5-feet-snow-san-diego-mountains/3173363/

8. “Timeline: How much rain, snow to expect over next five days” Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-23/timelines-when-will-worst-of-storms-hit-socal-with-snow-rain-high-surf

9. “California Faces Rare Blizzard in Latest Extreme Weather” Bloomberg, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-24/california-winter-storm-brings-blizzard-warnings-bay-area-snow

10. “Live updates: Storm brings snow, rain and blizzard warning for Southern California” VC Star, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2023/02/23/storm-brings-snow-rain-and-blizzard-warning-for-ventura-county/69937965007/

11. “National Weather Service San Diego issues first-ever blizzard warning” FOX 5 San Diego, 23 Feb. 2023, https://fox5sandiego.com/weather/national-weather-service-san-diego-issues-first-ever-blizzard-warning