After a brief reprieve from rain, Southern Californians will top off the year with more chilly, icy and wet winter weather through New Year’s Eve, the National Weather Service said.A storm is slated to arrive in the region Monday afternoon, followed by a second storm Tuesday night that could linger into Friday morning. Significant rain, mountain snow and wind gusts are likely, as are localized flooding, debris flows and additional travel delays.The main front of the first storm is expected to reach Los Angeles County on Monday afternoon and could produce 55 mph wind gusts and up to an inch of rain across the region. Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, described Monday’s storm as a “quick-hitter” that will move through L.A. County in about six or eight hours, with only light rain and snow showers lingering after about 9 p.m.But the front will bring temperatures in the 40s and 50s and mountain snow levels to 2,500 to 3,500 feet. Travel along the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine could get dicey, officials said.The incoming system has prompted a winter storm warning in the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties through late Monday. Heavy snow, gusty winds, icy roads and low visibility will make for dangerous driving conditions at higher elevations, and residents are advised to avoid travel if possible.“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the warning says. A freeze watch also was issued for the Santa Clarita Valley and Ventura County valleys from late Monday night through Tuesday morning. Frost advisories may be issued for the Central Coast, the southern coast of Santa Barbara County and the coast of Ventura County overnight.
🙎♂️Why is I-80 CLOSED from Colfax (@PlacerCA) to the Nevada State-line?
👷There is currently low or zero visibility on I-80 in the Sierra. Crews working around the clock to keep I-80 maintained but conditions are unsafe, especially w/ an upcoming storm expected this afternoon.🥶 pic.twitter.com/U9Kafq9Qck— Caltrans District 3 (@CaltransDist3) December 26, 2021
The storm has already created trouble for residents in Northern California, where active rock slides and mounting snow have made a mess of travel and contributed to significant hazards. In Placer County, search and rescue teams are looking for a skier who went missing on Christmas Day. Rory Angelotta, 43, was last seen heading up a ski lift Saturday morning, officials said. Conditions have made search efforts difficult, and another storm is expected to hit the area Monday.“We’ve had nonstop pretty severe weather conditions since Saturday night, Christmas night, and it has made it very difficult for rescuers to even get up here, let alone get out there and get out to search,” said Sgt. Mike Powers of the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. The California Department of Transportation’s map of road closures on Monday was littered with icons indicating closed roads — particularly through the Sierra Nevada, where up to 4 feet of snow has made mountain travel all but impossible. An avalanche warning in Central Sierra Nevada will remain in effect until Tuesday morning.Meanwhile, Highway 80 was closed from Colfax to the Nevada state line because of poor visibility, with no estimate on reopening. Videos posted by the California Highway Patrol showed near white-out conditions on the highway.Authorities near Reno said three people were injured in a 20-car pileup on Interstate 395 on Sunday, and Highway 50 remained closed near Placerville because of heavy snow.Closer to the coast, multiple segments of Highway 1 around San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties were closed by tumbling rocks, with officials providing few estimates for reopening. And in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles County, crews on Monday were working to repair a segment of State Route 18 that washed down a hillside during heavy rains. The road could remain closed in both directions from 40th Street to Highway 138 “for several days, if not weeks,” Caltrans said.
Highway 1 is closed from north of Gorda in Monterey County to Ragged Point in SLO County due to a rockslide blocking both lanes. No estimate for re-opening. Travelers should be aware of Caltrans/emergency responders in the vicinity. Video on Hwy. 1 earlier today.@PIOJimShivers pic.twitter.com/Vi98bWSPwO— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) December 26, 2021
Despite the hazards and headaches, the storms are bringing much-needed moisture to drought-parched California. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab on Monday said the latest 24-hour snow totals brought the area to a new December record — 193.7 feet of snow, smashing the previous record of 179 feet of snow from December 1970. Meteorologist Sirard said downtown Los Angeles has received 5.62 inches of precipitation since the start of the water year, which begins Oct. 1, thanks to December’s slate of storms. The normal value for the date is 3.28 inches.“Just because [the season] had a wet beginning doesn’t mean it will keep going — but we hope it does,” Sirard said. “It would be extremely beneficial for California. We need the rain so desperately, so we’re all hoping and praying that this rain will continue.” The outlook calls for more rain and snow in the L.A. area this week, although forecast models are not yet in agreement about the precise timing of the second storm, or how much precipitation it will deliver. Sirard said the latest forecasts indicate that the storm will arrive in Los Angeles late Tuesday night, and that rain will be widespread across the region Wednesday.There is less agreement about what will come after that.“The jury is still out as far as exactly what kind of weather we’re going to be getting on Thursday and Thursday night,” Sirard said, but the system is potentially a “long duration event” that could stall over the area and create a rainy, snowy pattern for a couple of days.There are some indications that showers will last into Thursday and even linger into Friday morning, he said. By Friday night — New Year’s Eve — rain and snowfall are expected to dissipate in Los Angeles, kicking off 2022 with cool but dry conditions.