Mod: Usually once these things are over people wonder what all the fuss was about. It rained. But the media build-up on this one has been pretty robust. Even by Southern California standards.Major storm to bring blizzard, feet of snow and flooding rain to Southern California (AccuWeatherlink): A large and disruptive storm system tracking south just offshore of the West Coast on Thursday was bringing some impacts to California. As the storm zeroes in on the Golden State, it is forecast to ramp up in intensity on Friday and produce heavy rain, snow and even rare blizzard conditions in the mountains around the Los Angeles area.
AccuWeather meteorologists warn that this storm has the potential to be the most impactful storm of the winter, and perhaps in a number of years, for
Southern California due to the risks of flooding, snow in low elevations and widespread travel disruptions.
Snow was already falling close to sea level along the coast of
Northern California on Thursday morning. During Wednesday afternoon and evening, as the storm was spinning just off the coast of
Oregon, heavy snow buried roads in the
Portland area and left numerous motorists stranded.
"The absolute worst conditions in the zone from
Los Angeles to
San Diego will be from late Friday to Saturday morning,"
AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
Travel may be shut down due to dangerous conditions and road closures from high water, washouts and debris flows at low elevations and heavy snow in the foothills, mountains and passes, Rayno added. There is a significant risk for some people to be stranded in vehicles or isolated for an extended period in the storm's wake.
"Our meteorologists remain highly concerned about the risk of significant tree damage and power outages in the intermediate elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 feet during the storm in
Southern California where several inches of snow is likely to fall,"
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. "At this approximate elevation, heavy, wet snow would cling to trees and power lines much more effectively than the fluffier snow expected at higher elevations."
From Friday to Saturday, a fire hose effect of moisture will be aimed at coastal areas of
Southern California. At the storm’s peak on Friday night, rainfall rates of 0.50 of an inch to 1 inch per hour will be possible. Up in the mountains, snow may come down at the rate of several inches per hour, resulting in several feet over the highest elevations.
Mod: More weather woe at the link.
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