Southern California Hit With Cold, Windy Weather

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A cold front emanating from Canada is moving through Southern California Monday, bringing furious winds and the area's lowest temperatures this year, along with snowfall and the risk of serious traffic disruptions, forecasters said.

The change in weather is producing little to no rain, but snow levels fell to 2,000 feet Monday morning and could go as low as 1,500 feet, with a "dusting" of snow possible across the Antelope Valley foothills, according to the National Weather Service.

At the same time, northwest to north winds of between 25 and 35 miles per hour gusting to 45 mph are expected to blow across the mountains.

Mountain roads that could be affected by weather conditions include Interstate 5 near the Grapevine and the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway through Soledad Canyon, and Highway 2, the National Weather Service warned. The NWS said 1-2 inches of snow could fall on I-5.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties through Monday evening for the snow and the high northwest winds.

Forecasters said a cold and dry air mass will combine with clear skies to allow for "dramatic overnight cooling." Temperatures will dip into the 30s across the Southland on Monday night.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a cold weather alert because temperatures are expected to dip below 32 degrees this week. The alert areas include the Antelope Valley and San Gabriel Mountains through Friday; the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys from through Wednesday; the Pomona Valley from Tuesday through Wednesday; and the San Gabriel Valley on Tuesday.

Downtown Los Angeles had a high of just 58 degrees on Monday, while Woodland Hills only reached 55.

--City News Service/Photo via Shutterstock