California’s winter mess: Feet of snow, heavy rains, flooding

You likely saw all the reports coming from Southern California on Thursday about the heavy snow falling across the mountains of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. Well, get ready because there will be more coming Friday and Saturday as the low-pressure system moves south, hugging the California coast.

Our WeatherRadar shows heavy rains falling over the San Joaquin Valley on Friday morning before sunrise. Heavy snow fell over the Sierra, which they are forecast to receive in a 24-hour period ending on Saturday morning between 4 and 6 feet of snow. Yes, that is in just 24 hours!

For the San Joaquin Valley, rainfall amounts through Saturday morning will range between 0.5 to 3 inches.

As the snow falls heavily and the winds blow strong, visibility will be obstructed, making conditions very dangerous or impossible for travelers. A blizzard warning is in effect for the Sierra Nevada over elevations of 8,000 feet. Temperatures will be as low as minus 30 F, which could quickly cause frostbite on exposed skin in just 10 minutes.

A bit more south there is also a blizzard warning for Tehachapi, Grapevine, and the Frazier Mountain communities as another 32 inches of snow could fall from Friday to Saturday.

Closer to SoCal, the Ventura and Los Angeles County Mountains will also experience dangerous travel conditions and near-zero visibility as a blizzard warning is in effect until 4 p.m. PT Saturday. Elevations between 2,000 and 4,500 feet could receive between 6 and 12 inches of snow, while 2 and 5 feet of snow are possible over 4,500 feet. Much higher amounts, around 8 feet could also be registered in higher mountain passes. Crazy stuff!

Keep in mind this will all happen in a relatively short amount of time. Across the Los Angeles area periods of heavy rain are forecast, where the rain rate could be between 0.5 and 0.75 inches per hour! This could produce flooding. There is a flood watch from Santa Barbara through L.A. to San Diego.

For the inland mountains of San Diego County, there will also be heavy snow falling, but it will be mainly on Saturday. Travel will be difficult to impossible across some areas, so it is best to avoid it as much as possible.

The heaviest precipitation will be mainly focused along Southern California on Saturday. But across the northern and central regions, the rain will not let go that easily. This is a massive low-pressure system that will take its sweet time traveling through the state. On Saturday, there will be periods of heavy snow in the mornings over the Sierras, with 1 to 2 feet of additional snow forecast, and San Joaquin Valley could still receive between 0.25 and 1 inch of rain.