Southern California winter storm could bring snow to Santa Monica Mountains

A powerful winter storm is slicing through Southern California this week as a cold Canadian air mass overruns the state, bringing strong winds and a chance of snow at unusually low elevations.

The event is expected to be “a snowmaker of the likes we have not seen for many years,” said Andrew Rorke, senior forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.

Snow levels are expected to fall as low as 1,500 feet elevation beginning Wednesday. Flurries and strong winds will continue until the second part of the storm arrives Thursday, the weather service said.

Because the event is so unusual, the weather service said, confidence in the snowfall forecasts is low. But models are suggesting snow could fall across Santa Clarita, especially in the foothills, and on the highest peaks of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Twelve inches of snow could fall at 2,500 feet to 4,000 feet elevation, and several feet of snow are forecast at elevations above 4,000 feet, creating dangerous driving conditions along mountain passes.

The storm will pick up moisture as it travels over the waters from Canada, creating “a significant precipitation event,” late Thursday and extending into Saturday.

Two to 4 inches of rain are forecast to fall through Saturday.

High temperatures in Southern California will be in the low to mid-50s.

The storm should hit the region with strong, blustery winds by around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Rorke said. A winter storm warning has been issued from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Saturday for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Winds of up to 75 mph are forecast to blast through the mountains, with gusts up to 65 mph in the valleys. Winds at the coasts and valleys of L.A. and Ventura counties could reach 50 mph, “which is quite strong for these lowlands,” Rorke said.

“People will be talking about the wind,” he added.

The system will also stir up dangerously high waves, rising from 10 to 18 feet on the Central Coast, and 7 to 10 feet — with local sets up to 14 feet — in L.A. and Ventura counties.

The storm comes as millions across the United States brace for severe winter weather, with the potential to cause major travel disruptions from coast to coast.