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Freak Snow Storm Hits California Desert
2004 11 22
 By Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An unusual storm socked Southern California mountains with up to two feet of snow Sunday, stranding dozens of motorists on impassable highways while turning even some desert communities into winter wonderlands.
Heavy snow forced the closure of Interstate 15 through the Cajon Pass for about five hours in the morning, but no major weather-related accidents or serious injuries were reported, authorities said.
The weather system, which developed in British Columbia and swept into California via Nevada, is called an "inside slider" for its rare approach into Southern California, from the northeast instead of the typical route through the Pacific Ocean.
"This happens about once every 10 years, and when it does, it's bad," said Ivory Small, chief science officer for the National Weather Service in San Diego. "You get about every type of weather ... These systems are tricky to predict."
Temperatures plunged across the region and the weather service warned farmers that frost was likely overnight. As much as two feet of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains.
"The mountains got clobbered," NWS meteorologist Steven Vanderberg said. "It packed a pretty good punch. This system just brought in a lot of cold air with it."
Snow fell even at low elevations in Riverside County, including three inches in Lake Elsinore and Murrieta and one inch in Temecula. Local children tossed snowballs and hauled sleds onto golf courses to play in the snow.
Nancy Ashley videotaped the snow falling in the backyard of her Murrieta home.
"I grabbed the camera just so I can prove to everybody," Ashley told KNBC-TV. "I had it documented."
Up to a foot of snow fell in the desert areas of northern San Bernardino County, while six inches fell in communities such as Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms. A heavy snow warning was issued for parts of Joshua Tree National Park.
The storm, part of an upper-level low pressure system headed into southern Arizona, dumped about three inches of snow in the mountains of San Diego County, Vanderberg said. As much as three-quarters of an inch of rain fell in the county's valley regions.
Local law enforcement and emergency agencies said there had been no major mudslides in at-risk mountain areas that burned in last year's firestorms.
In San Bernardino County, snow and ice closed sections of several highways, including Highway 18 from San Bernardino to Crestline and Highway 330 from Highland to Running Springs, said California Highway Patrol dispatch supervisor Doug Showalter.
"We have a lot (more) people stranded because of snow and ice, than we have accidents," he said. "The mountains are just treacherous."
Pea-sized hail fell in parts of Orange County. In Irvine, the storm unleashed strong winds that toppled a eucalyptus tree onto a home. Some of the approximately 20 University of California, Irvine, students who had been sleeping inside suffered minor cuts and bruises.
Earth Changes TV
Article From: http://www.earthchangestv.com/secure/2004/article_5273.php
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