By: Lydia Tesfaye, Kristyna Ramirez, Marcela Carrillo and Noah Meadows
A strong winter storm hit Southern California last Thursday as the harsh storm traveled from Northern California, producing heavy precipitation, blizzard warnings and gusty winds.
Courtesy of CNN Newsource
Los Angeles and Orange County issued a flood watch last Friday, with LA County advising residents and travelers to refrain from visiting local beaches as rain, wind and lightning threatened the shore. San Bernardino County soon followed, issuing a blizzard warning and advising car owners to equip their vehicles with tire traction devices.
According to USA Today, this storm takes place 34 years after Los Angeles received its first Blizzard warning in 1989. For San Diego, however, this is the city’s first Blizzard warning in history.
Since the five-day storm approached California––the state with the most extensive drought record, an abundance of rain blessed “The Golden State.” In Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara County, rain reached 11 inches, with rainfall amounting to 1.25 inches for coastal and valley areas and mountains receiving up to three inches, according to KTLA.
Alongside the threatening rain and wind, San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains notably surpassed the yearly snowfall they generally receive. According to American Southwest, San Gabriel Mountains average around 10 feet of snow yearly. Meanwhile, San Bernardino Mountains average about three feet of snowfall.
The Mountain High resort in the San Gabriel Mountains typically averages around 10 inches of snow in five months. Meanwhile, Big Bear, a small city famously known for the snow in the San Bernardino Mountains, averages about 42.7 inches of snowfall yearly.
The Mountain High resort in the San Gabriel Mountains received 81 inches of snow during this five-day storm, while the San Bernardino Mountains received 64 inches of snow, according to NPR.
Cities and towns that quite never receive snowfall due to lack of elevation woke up with scattering snow and hail in their front yards, a rarity for most.
Fontana, a city in San Bernardino County, received snow despite their elevation of 1,237′ ft above sea level. In contrast, Big Bear is 6,752′ ft above sea level, receiving guaranteed snow yearly. Numerous other cities faced the same mystery. The low elevation is the primary source for why these cities are never guaranteed anything close to a traditional white Winter season.
However, as residents who’ve never witnessed snowfall in their hometown were content, this storm brought disaster to other residents. The wind progression took multiple power lines, leaving over 80,000 Californians without power, according to PowerOutage.US.
Last Saturday, the National Weather Service issued a special weather statement as the blowing winds traveled as high as 55 mph, advising residents to seek shelter in an adequately structured building.
With gusty winds leaving thousands of Californians without power, many freeways closed due to the instability and high risk of accidents. Over five highways shut down due to either snow, flooding, or wind. A highly used Interstate, I-5, has certain areas closed due to heavy flooding, making traveling difficult.
On Sunday, the storm began to die down, as the west coast storm began to travel into other surrounding states. However, a new storm alert took effect on Monday, as California will be hit with another winter storm on Tuesday.
