Near-Record-Low Temperatures Likely Along Rose Parade Route
PASADENA (CBSLA.com/AP) — The thousands of people who camp overnight or gather early to watch the annual Rose Parade will face an icy New Year's morning as temperatures fall near or below freezing across much of southwest California, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
A very cold low-pressure system followed by an Arctic air mass was dropping through the state, bringing snow and blustery winds Tuesday night and early Wednesday and then a predicted big chill through Thursday morning. Winter storm warnings were issued for wide swaths of Southern California.
Forecasters predicted gusts of more than 70 mph in the mountains of Los Angeles County. Several inches of snow were expected across the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, even at elevations as low as 2,000 feet.
Los Angeles County public health authorities issued a cold-weather alert for several areas, including the San Gabriel Valley, where Pasadena is located, and city officials urged parade-goers to come ready with layers of clothing and foot and hand warmers.
"Be ready and know that it's going to be very cold here," Fire Chief Bertral Washington told a news conference. "We just want them to be prepared, and we want to make sure that they're going to be safe and warm when they do camp out."
The flower-decorated floats, marching bands and equestrian units of the 126th Rose Parade will begin moving 5 1/2 miles through Pasadena at 8 a.m. Jan. 1, but many people will have held sidewalk positions since noon Wednesday, when it becomes legal to do so.
Bonfires are illegal. Small barbecues are allowed with location restrictions and only with fire extinguishers available.
Cold is not unheard of during Rose Parades, but the enduring image from traditional event is of clear skies and the backdrop of the rugged, sun-splashed San Gabriel Mountains rising behind Pasadena. Initial forecasts called for the cold front to bring snow down to about the 2,000-foot level in the local mountains, but subsequent predictions placed most snowfall in counties farther east and southeast.
"No one likes the rain … I mean, maybe people from Oregon," one woman told KCAL9's Brittney Hopper, while another said, "People don't want this weather. They come here for the sun."
In downtown Los Angeles, preparations were underway for the second annual Grand Park event, where tarps covered stages. Still, organizers remained hopeful that revelers would attend the event despite the near-record-low temperatures.
"I think it's L.A.'s chance to show people that we're thick-skinned, just like New Yorkers, and Chicagoans. That a little cold is not going to keep us at home," Julia Diamond, an organizer, said.
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