February 21, 2023, 6:20 p.m.
An unusually strong and cold winter storm system will descend on Southern California this week, bringing significant rain, powerful winds and heavy snow to the region, forecasters say.
The storm, and an accompanying steep drop in temperatures, is likely to bring snow to unusually low elevations across the state later this week, including parts of Southern California, the National Weather Service said. An enormous trough of low pressure centered over the western U.S. is tapping into cold air from the north and bringing it further south.
“There is a really strong storm system that will be racing down the West Coast,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Elizabeth Schenk. “It’s a super dynamic system that is pulling a lot of cold weather from the north.”
Powerful winds were expected in much of the region late Tuesday, Feb. 21, with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour in the coasts and valleys, according to the NWS forecast.
