Winter storm warning issued for Los Angeles County mountain communities
It may be spring, but a winter storm warning has been issued for parts of Los Angeles County Monday.
A storm that could bring heavy rain at times could also bring plenty of snow to the Los Angeles County mountains, including the cities of Lockwood Valley, Mount Pinos, Acton, Mount Wilson, and Sandberg, according to the National Weather Service.
Up to a foot of snow could fall at elevations above 6,000 feet, while as much as 18 inches of snow is expected above 7,500 feet. The storm is also expected to bring windy conditions, with gusts as high as 60 mph.
However, as of 4:30 p.m. there wasn't much snow -- just lots of rainfall -- accompanied by heavy fog and sloshy conditions.
Despite the promise of snow, winter sports enthusiasts were a little disappointed in the poor "performance" of precipitation in the mountains.
"They have been really really good," said Nick Ketelsen, who made his way to Big Bear in anticipation of the coming storm. "This one really hasn't performed quite like the last ones."
Regardless, many of the snowboarders braved the cold, wet weather and made the most of the situation.
"We're still going to persist and keep going back up," said Brendan Dauen Hauer.
"I am completely soaked," said Shaina Reyes, who laughed off the unfortunate circumstances. "I fell like a million times."
Devika Ketelsen noted that the additional wetness from the rain "makes you go slower and make you fall a lot" when trying to snowboard.
Other riders like Michael Young complained that it felt like they were "wearing a wet diaper."
Travel could be very difficult to impossible in the impacted areas, and the strong winds could bring down trees or large branches in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather officials advised that anyone who must drive in the region's mountain areas were urged to bring an extra flashlight, food, and water in case of emergency, with heavier precipitation expected beginning in the early evening and lasting overnight.
The promise of more snowfall kept the hopes of the ski and snowboard enthusiasts high for Tuesday's conditions.
"The upper part of the mountain got some flakes fallen, so that can push down (and) hopefully we'll see something tomorrow." Nick Ketelsen noted, crossing his fingers for more snow.
