Barely a week after Southern California sweated through seven consecutive days with high temperatures hovering around the 80s, residents now must be prepared for snow as low as the foothills.

There’s a 50% chance of rain on Tuesday, Feb. 22, and an approximately 50% chance again on Wednesday, when some of that precipitation could fall as snow at 2,000 to 2,500 feet, the National Weather Service said.

“We are going to be impacted by a low-pressure system that is coming down from Canada that’s bringing a big mass of cold air with it,” said Casey Oswant, a weather service meteorologist.

The snow is most likely to fall in cities such as Yucaipa, Banning, Beaumont, Lancaster and Palmdale at the tail end of the rain, which should be before dawn on Wednesday, Oswant said. Any accumulation is expected to be light, she said.

Tuesday will bring its own set of issues. A wind advisory is in effect for the Inland valleys and Orange County from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Winds from the southwest at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph are expected.

“Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the weather service said.

High temperatures of 52 to 57 degrees are forecast for the Inland valleys on Tuesday, with lows of 33 to 38. Wednesday, the high temperatures are expected to be 51 to 57 degrees with lows 26 to 35. The temperatures are expected to rise minimally, with frost forming, until Saturday when highs are forecast to eclipse 70 degrees.

Temperatures in the Los Angeles area are expected to be a few degrees warmer than other areas this week.

At higher elevations, a winter storm warning was issued for 4 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon. Up to 6 inches of snow — some of it blowing — is expected to accumulate below 6,000 feet, with areas above that level receiving 6 to 10 inches. Localized accumulations could be heavier, the weather service said.

No precipitation is in the forecast from Thursday through Sunday.

Related Articles