Snow Catches Palmdale Residents Off Guard

PALMDALE (CBSLA) — High desert residents are accustomed to extreme weather, like back-to-back triple-digit heat waves in the summer and bone-chilling temperatures in the winter – but they are not used to snow.

Nonetheless, it was snow they got in Palmdale Tuesday night.

"I didn't expect snow at all, so I decided to wear sandals – and it was not a good idea, like, at all. I'm literally freezing," one woman said, gesturing to her feet in lime green socks and buckled sandals.

Palmdale got a range of weather Tuesday – snow, rain, hail and strong wind gusts. The mix of cold weather also caught drivers off guard.

In fact, much of the San Gabriel mountains were covered in white - prompting some in the Baldwin Hills area to stop and take a photo of the views.

The sight of snow prompted several residents to brave the freezing temperatures and come out to play.

"It's hailing, and then soon enough, we look up and it's snow, just everywhere," the woman said. "I was like, 'wow, it's snowing in Palmdale.'"

In Newhall, The Old Road at Weldon Canyon Road had to be shut down Wednesday morning after a Ford Mustang hit black ice and lost control, crashing into the center divider.

Other areas in Southern California were more prepared for snow. In Lebec, California Highway Patrol officers paced cars to keep traffic slow as they made their way through the Grapevine and crews were ready with snow plows to clear the roads.

In the San Bernardino Mountains, heavy snowfall was a welcome sight. Big Bear Mountain got nearly 20 inches of fresh powder on the ground in this most recent round of snow, nearly doubling the snowfall total from last winter to 69 inches. Mountain High in Wrightwood is also reveling in three feet of fresh snow over the past week.

Unusually cold temperatures are forecast through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.