Winter Wonderland: Southland Mountains See First Major Snow Of Season
WRIGHTWOOD (CBSLA) – The first major storm of the season Wednesday brought with it steady snowfall to the Southland's mountain ranges.
By Wednesday morning, snow was falling in the Frazier Park area of the Tejon Pass near the Grapevine.
"First snow of the year; we are thankful, we've been waiting for it and we're glad it came," Frazier Park resident Clyde Greer told CBS2.
Liquor store owner Matthew Khalil told CBS2 he expected a dusting, but not this much snow.
"We are getting ready to pull out the sleds, the mittens, the scarves, we're exciting for everyone to come up her to join us and see the snow," Khalil said.
It was also falling heavily from Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains east to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.
"I like it when I don't have to go to work, and I can stay home," Lisa Fischer, a Running Springs resident, said. "There's been a lot of cars that have been sliding."
Caltrans was requiring chains for drivers on Highway 330 at Running Springs in the San Bernardino Mountains and on Highway 118 near Lake Arrowhead.
"It was really slippery, and we were all scared, so we just pulled over and they told us, 'You're supposed to get snow tires for cars like these,'" Carlos Cazares, a Compton resident, said. "It's really fun. We literally had a snowball fight."
According to the National Weather Service, mountain areas were expected to see two to four inches of snow, with higher peaks seeing up to 16 inches.
A winter storm warning expired at 4 p.m. Wednesday for the Grapevine area and at 7 p.m. for the San Bernardino Mountains. Caltrans said that drivers facing snowy weather should slow down and increase the distance between themselves and other cars on the roads