LOS ANGELES — While central Indiana cools down from a couple days of unseasonably warm weather, parts of the country that are used to fun in the February sun are staring down a snowstorm.
In Southern California, the weather service office in San Diego issued its first-ever blizzard warning, covering the mountains of San Bernardino County from early Friday until Saturday afternoon. San Bernardino County lies east of Los Angeles County, where the first mountain blizzard warning since 1989 was scheduled to take effect at the same time.
The warning was issued for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, effective from 4 a.m. Thursday to 4 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
“Nearly the entire population of CA will be able to see snow from some vantage point later this week if they look in the right direction (i.e., toward the highest hills in vicinity),” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain tweeted.
Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are possible by Saturday night at elevations as low as 2,000 feet, KNBC reported.
Karen Krenis was driving to a pottery studio in Santa Cruz, California, when she stopped in her tracks after seeing snow on the beach. She got out of her car and went to take photos. By the time she left, about 50 other people were there. Adults were snapping photos, and children were making snowballs.
“I have lived in California for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Krenis said.
Thursday's winter blast in the Los Angeles area eventually gave way to a magical moment, as a double rainbow stretched across the sky near the famous Hollywood sign.
Earlier in the day, hail and a rare light snow could be seen on the sign's hillside before the vibrant rainbow appeared.
(The Associated Press and KNBC contributed to this story.)