Snow has closed the Grapevine area of the 5 Freeway in both directions Wednesday morning as a winter storm drenches the Central Coast and residents of fire-scarred areas brace for mudslides.
It will continue snowing in the high-elevation pass into the afternoon, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist for
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A low pressure system off the Pacific Northwest is pulling the atmospheric river which was predicted to trend very quickly south toward the battered Central Coast, according to Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Monterey. Overnight, it should finally head south, forecasters say, although later than initially predicted.
The storm delivered several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada, particularly the area between Yosemite National Park and Mammoth. More snow is expected into Friday, which could help replenish the state’s water supplies diminished by dry winters, including the last three months. The icy conditions have already made for miserable driving in the mountains.
Heavy rain headed to Southern California with mudslides possible in burn areas
An empty stretch of Interstate 5 through Gorman on Wednesday as a series of winter storms rolls through California.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 27, 2021 Updated 5:47 PM PT
A winter storm barreling toward Southern California threatens heavy rainfall that could trigger mudslides and debris flows in vulnerable areas.
In anticipation of the rainfall, the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch in the areas burned in the Bobcat, Lake and Ranch2 wildfires last year. Without vegetation to hold it in place, the
soil is weak and at heightened risk for debris flows and mudslides, experts warn.
Interstate 5 through the Grapevine was closed due to snow Monday morning as Southern California was hit by the latest in a series of storms that could cause mudslides later this week.
Heavy snow was falling in the Grapevine, prompting the California Highway Patrol to close the north-south route and