Rare blizzard warnings issued for Los Angeles area

A blizzard warning has been issued for the Los Angeles area this week for the first time since 1989.

Residents in Los Angeles and Ventura counties who live in the mountains above the city are under a blizzard warning — the first one in the area since Feb. 4, 1989 — until Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasted that areas with more than 4,500 feet of elevation may see 2 to 5 feet of snow, areas between 2,500 and 4,000 feet of elevation may see 6 to 12 inches, and elevation levels between 1,500 and 2,500 feet could see 1 to 4 inches.

The NWS also predicted that higher elevations in the area could see 7 to 8 feet of snow and warned residents in the Los Angeles area to avoid travel, as it could be “impossible” to do so. The area could see up to 80 mph wind gusts, which could cause “dangerous cold wind chills.”

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the NWS warning read. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage. The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 40 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.”

The NWS also said that temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below normal, and mountain wind chills are predicted to be zero to 10 degrees.

Other parts of California are also expecting a wintry mix of weather; a freeze warning was issued for the San Francisco Bay Area until Friday, warning of below-freezing temperatures. As of Thursday, more than 40,000 people have reported power outages during the storm, according to Poweroutage.us.

The winter storm swept across the country this week from California to Maine, causing widespread power outages and hazardous road conditions. In Michigan, more than 730,000 residents were without power as of Thursday, and in Wyoming, state officials closed portions of I-80 due to winter conditions.

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