Yeah, we've had several days of alarming forecasts followed by pleasant days for a couple of weeks now. But by the look of things outside, it could be the real deal, especially overnight. National Weather Service says:
A STRONG LATE SEASON STORM WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY BRINGING STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW MAINLY ABOVE 5000 FEET. THE STORM SYSTEM WILL EXIT THE REGION ON MONDAY NIGHT ALLOWING FOR A DRYING TREND TO ESTABLISH. …WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PDT MONDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES/OXNARD HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW FOR THE LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS. THIS WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PDT MONDAY AND REPLACES THE WINTER STORM WATCH. * TIMING: WINDS WILL INCREASE TO DAMAGING THRESHOLDS AHEAD OF COLD PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM THIS EVENING. PERIODS OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEMS COLD FRONT MOVES OVER THE REGION. THE HEAVIEST PERIOD OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 11 PM TONIGHT THROUGH DAYBREAK MONDAY. WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOULD TAPER OFF TO SHOWERS ON MONDAY…WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW SQUALLS MAY ACCOMPANY ANY THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM MAINLY BETWEEN 5000 AND 7000 FEET. LOCAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 12 AND 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ABOVE 7000 FEET. * WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 40 MPH WITH POSSIBLE GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST TO NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT AND GRADUALLY DIMINISH TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH BY MONDAY MORNING. * SNOW LEVELS: THE SNOW LEVEL CURRENTLY NEAR 5000 FEET WILL RISE TO ABOVE 7000 FEET BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON…THEN DROP TO AROUND 5500 FEET TONIGHT WHEN THE SYSTEMS COLD FRONT ARRIVES. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL CONTINUE TO DESCEND TO AROUND 4500 FEET ON MONDAY MORNING WHEN THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT WITH THE STORM SYSTEM PUSHES OVER THE AREA
. * IMPACTS: VERY STRONG WINDS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE STORM SYSTEMS COLD FRONT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE DOWNED POWER LINES AND TREE BRANCHES. DANGEROUS AND ERRATIC CROSS WINDS WILL IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS MOUNTAIN ROADS CREATING DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS…ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR AND ALONG THE ANGELES CREST HIGHWAY. AS HEAVY SNOWFALL DEVELOPS TONIGHT…STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW TO CREATE AREAS OF NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY. TRAVELING ACROSS AREA ROADWAYS TONIGHT AND MONDAY IS NOT ADVISED. TRAVEL WILL TREACHEROUS AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… &&
Instruction:
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. VERY STRONG WINDS WITH THE STORM SYSTEM WILL MAKE IT VERY DANGEROUS TO WALK OUTSIDE. IF YOU MUST GO OUTSIDE…BE ALERT TO DOWNED POWER LINES…POSSIBLE FALLING TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES…AND OTHER DEBRIS THAT MAY BECOME PROJECTILES DUE TO STRONG WINDS. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST WITH THIS WINTRY STORM MAKING TRAVEL THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS TREACHEROUS AND DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
UPDATE, 9 PM: Weather service says that there is a flash flood watch for Station Fire burn areas, from midnight tonight to 6 AM tomorrow.
