It's going to be a wintry New Year's Eve in Southern California, according to the latest forecasts calling for rain, snow and frigid air in the area.
A storm barreling down from Canada is bringing wintry weather into the area from Tuesday to Thursday, including mountain preciptiation, wind gusts and overnight low temperatures in the 20s and 30s for parts of the Southland, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS warned of hazardous, icy roads for anyone driving in the mountains as it issued a winter storm watcht for the mountains of across the area as snow could fall as low as 2,000 feet when the storm hits late Tuesday.
Up to a foot of snowfall is possible in the Antelope Valley foothills and nearby San Gabriel Mountains, impacting travel on the Grapevine, Highway 33 in Ventura County and highways 14 and 138, the NWS said.
"The combination of snow and wind will lead to very hazardous conditions for anyone venturing into the mountains," warned the NWS statement. "Roads will be icy and road closures are a strong possibility."
Rain showers are likeliest in the Antelope Valley and mountains, but the area's coasts and valleys are forecasted for overnight low temperatures in the upper 20s and 30s on New Year's Day.
Sustained northwest winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and gusts in excess of 45 mph were also expected.
Based on the forecast of snow and icy road conditions, LA County Public Works is closing public access to several road segments in the Angeles National Forest, effective Tuesday at 10 a.m.
They are the Angeles Forest Highway between Aliso Canyon Road and Angeles Crest Highway, Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road between Angeles Forest Highway and SR-2 and Big Tujunga Canyon Road between Vogel Flats Road and Angeles Forest Highway.
Local access will not be permitted until the road closures are lifted, and the closures will remain in effect until the storm system has passed and the roads have been inspected and cleared.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Transportation’s District 8 is preparing roads in their area for the cold storm that is coming in.
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Teams are putting a de-icing agent down in the Cajon Pass Tuesday morning. The material is placed over parts of the freeway lanes, then cars move through the area distribute it all over the road surface.
City News Service contributed to this story.
