A rare winter storm hits Los Angeles – snow and blizzards leave residents without power.usa news

A winter storm across the Pacific brought several days of flooding, freezing temperatures and snowfall to parts of Southern California.

The river was swollen to dangerous levels and snow fell on the surrounding lowlands. Los Angeles – Some areas have more than 30 inches of snow, and forecasters say more.

The National Weather Service said it was one of the strongest storms to ever hit southwestern California and continued to have a major impact despite a reduction in wind and rain volumes.

The hills of the Santa Clarita suburb north of Los Angeles were blanketed in white, and the inland suburbs to the east were blanketed in snow.

The storm tapered off in the area as a rare blizzard warning for the mountains and extensive flood monitoring ended later in the day.

Forecasters said they have a day to spare before the next storm is expected on Monday.

More than 120,000 California utility customers lost power after several days of severe winds, fallen trees and downed power lines, and Interstate 5, a major north-south highway running along the West Coast, was cut off from Taejon Pass. It remained closed due to heavy snow and freezing through the mountains. Northern Los Angeles.

As of Saturday morning, Mountain High Resort in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles had 205 cm (81 inches) of snow, and Snow Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains had up to 160 cm (64 inches) of snow. bottom.

Also, the Cogswell Dam in Los Angeles County received about 15 inches of rain, and the Woodland Hills section of the city received about 10.5 inches of rain.

The LA Regional Bureau of Meteorology wrote, “The past few days have seen record amounts of rainfall and snowfall, and very pronounced storms with snow falling to elevations where snow is rarely seen.”

The Los Angeles Fire Department used a helicopter to rescue four homeless people stranded in a major flood control basin of the Los Angeles River.

A spokeswoman said two people were taken to hospital with hypothermia.

Meanwhile, in the Valencia area of ​​northern Los Angeles County, the Santa Clara River cut into the embankment of an RV park early Saturday morning and carried away three campers.

KCAL-TV reported no injuries, but one resident described the scene as devastating.

LA County beaches were closed by lightning strikes, followed by scattered snow, showers, thunderstorms, and finally a low-pressure-supported storm spinning away from the coast.

The National Weather Service’s Weather Forecasting Center is forecasting heavy snow in California’s Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains over the weekend.

Further east, some residents were still struggling to cope with the effects of the storm earlier in the week.

About 350,000 customers in Michigan were without power as of Saturday afternoon, according to reports from DTE and Consumers Energy, the state’s two major utilities. Both energy suppliers said they hope to have electricity back on for most customers by Sunday evening.

About half an inch of ice weighs a power line, which is equivalent to the weight of a baby grand piano, according to Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler.