A rare blizzard warning remains in effect for parts of Southern California – including the Los Angeles region – Saturday as some areas endure heavy snow and record rainfall that has delivered dangerous flooding.

An onset of severe weather across the West Coast has spawned unfamiliar wintry conditions at higher elevations, particularly over mountainous areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where up to a foot of snow may pair with 80 mph winds, the National Weather Service said.

Blizzard warnings are set to continue through Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office had not issued a blizzard warning since 1989.

At the same time, torrential rain is expected to continue lashing the Los Angeles metro area Saturday after the area experienced flooding a day prior.

“A cold, strong, and potentially dangerous winter storm will bring periods of heavy rain and mountain snow with gusty southerly winds to most of Southwest California through Saturday,” according to the weather service.

The Hollywood sign is seen through a mix of fog and dust snow during a rare cold winter storm in Los Angeles, California, on February 24, 2023.

Aude Guerrucci/Reuters

The threat of lightning strikes has prompted officials to close all beaches in Los Angeles County to the public, according to an announcement on Saturday by the Lifeguard Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A storm system moving through the area has caused road flooding, including temporary closures of portions of Interstate 5 in Southern California.

The warning comes as this week’s severe weather across the state triggered numerous power outages, which persisted for more than 100,000 homes and businesses in several counties early Saturday as temperatures are expected to plummet, with Northern California possibly seeing below-freezing temperatures.

By Friday, snow had already coated the Santa Cruz Mountains, a sight that was a surprise to resident Ngugi Kihara.

“(We’ve) never seen this much snow up here,” Kihara told CNN on Friday. “We woke up to it. It started yesterday but picked up a lot overnight. Lots of trees are falling and all the roads around us are closed. Power is out and has been mostly gone since Tuesday.”

And the threat of even more power outages persists Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

The heavy snow and strong winds can ultimately result in near zero visibility for those in the area, even when snow stops falling because high winds can blow the flakes off the ground. Weather alerts have urged extreme caution when traveling.

High elevations at Big Bear Lake in Southern California saw between 20 to 40 inches of snow over the course of three days as of Friday evening, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency also reported that many vehicles were stuck Friday morning, prompting state officials to close roads.

In addition to the snow, some Los Angeles-area roads turned into rivers on Friday after bouts of heavy rain, prompting the weather service to issue a flash flood warning.

Motorists and vehicles were seen stranded after water levels rose and some roads became impassable.

During the late night hours, a flash flood warning remained for around 1 million people in Los Angeles, Glendale and Santa Clarita through Saturday morning.

A resident walks to a restaurant during a storm in Mount Baldy, California, on Friday.

Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

California to see more rain this weekend

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue through the weekend over areas at lower elevations as overnight flash flooding was ongoing north and west of Los Angeles, the Weather Prediction Center said early Saturday.

The region can expect widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches Saturday, likely leading to flooding problems in areas south and east of Los Angeles, the prediction center added.

San Diego is also forecast to receive up to 2.5 inches of precipitation, and portions of southwestern California remain in a flood watch through Saturday evening.

Saturday’s rain will hit already soaked grounds, exacerbating impacts of possible flooding as the region faces back-to-back storms this week. In late December into January, much the state was thrashed with rounds of deadly flooding.

On Friday, the rainfall broke several California daily records as of around 5:30 p.m. local time:

Michigan outages won’t fully return before Sunday

The aftermath of the same weather system that struck California and numerous states spanning the country earlier this week is still affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the Midwest.

Nearly 500,000 homes and businesses in Michigan were still in the dark Saturday following a powerful winter storm created dangerous icing conditions, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us. Wayne County accounted for the most outages at more than 150,000.

DTE, one of Michigan’s largest electric providers, is restoring power to stricken areas but cautioned it will not be able to return service to most customers before Sunday.

The storm battered multiple western states and the Great Lakes region, delivering batches of snow over several days.

Plows move snow from I-35W southbound seen from the 42nd St. Bridge on February 22 in Minneapolis.

David Joles/Star Tribune/AP

Crews in Wyoming were in search-and-rescue mode after more than 40 inches of snow fell in the southern parts of the state over the course of several days and motorists were trapped in heavy snow, the state highway patrol said on Twitter.

In Minnesota, Minneapolis officials declared a one-day snow emergency Friday due to heavy snow, and city crews have been plowing and treating streets. The city was hammered with more than 13 inches in a three-day period this week.

Since the storm began Monday evening, cumulative snowfall reached dozens of inches in some cities, including 48 inches in Battle Lake, Wyoming, 32 inches in Dupuyer, Montana, and 29 inches in Park City, Utah.

In New England, icy conditions likely contributed to a massive 15-vehicle pileup on the Massachusetts Turnpike Thursday night, according to a tweet by the Massachusetts State Police. source

UPDATED with latest: The flash flood warnings announced earlier for Northwestern Los Angeles Country and Ventura County have been extended to all of L.A. County, per the National Weather Service just before 7 p.m.

Some flash flooding already has been reported, the NES said, in areas of Fillmore, Ojai and Santa Paula, Santa Clarita, especially in the burn scar areas from recent-ish fires like the Thomas Fire.

In Chatsworth, two cars fell into a sinkhole tonight, trapping two people, authorities said. The incident was reported about 7:20 p.m. at 11414 Iverson Road, where one car toppled on top of the other in the hole, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Because the roadway was completely compromised, authorities said it could not support emergency vehicles, so firefighters slid ladders down to help the two trapped motorists. Both people were taken to a hospital with minor, non-life threatening injuries, the LAFD reported.

The incident comes as total rainfall tonight through tomorrow morning across Los Angeles is expected to be between two and five inches. Some areas, like Ojai, Fillmore and Pasadena are expected to get even more.

PREVIOUSLY at 4:15 PM: Santa Barbara emergency response officials updated the situation in the region north of Los Angeles this afternoon and it is not good. Among the issues — beyond heavy rain and flooding — is that the 101 is now closed at multiple points, effectively cutting off traffic going northbound into Santa Barbara and also traffic going Northbound out of the county.

“The CHP is in the process of closing 101 at state route 33 in Ventura in order to stop traffic from coming into the county,” said Sheriff Bill Brown. “Several lanes that have been closed in Carpenteria [south of Santa Barbara]. The highway has also been closed at Cabrillo, according to the sheriff.

North of the seaside city, the 101 is closed at Mariposa because “significant rockfall at Gaviota,” said the sheriff, who also indicated that it will remain closed “until some time tomorrow.

“There are big boulders blocking that,” he added.

Another official indicated that a declaration of a state of emergency is likely soon, with a “signed declaration of emergency being presented to supervisors” shortly.

Montecito Resident Ellen DeGeneres Posts Video Of Raging Water Beside her Home

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles also warned of (caps theirs), “DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODING across southern Santa Barbara county and central Ventura county through this evening as additional heavy rain moves into the area. Follow orders from emergency officials.”

In L.A., the NWS also updated its flash-flood watches to warnings for Northwestern Los Angeles Country and Ventura County.

The potentially-affected areas include Fillmore, Ojai, Santa Clarita, Santa Paula, Lockwood Valley, Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake, especially the burn scar areas from recent-ish fires like the Thomas Fire. Some flash flooding already has been reported, the NES said. The warning will remain in effect until 9 p.m.

PREVIOUSLY, 1:44 PM: The latest in a series of storm systems hit Southern California this morning prompting high winds, flood watches and evacuation orders for some residents.

Santa Barbara issued an evacuation order for all of Montecito, a leafy locale popular with showbiz types that was hit hard five years ago as debris flows inundated houses, overwashed the 101 Freeway and took 23 lives. Creeks there were already swollen by midday Monday.

The evcuation order “includes all 15 zones of the Montecito Community, all Toro Canyon & Padaro Lane residents in the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District & all residents of Sycamore Canyon in the City of SB and Montecito,” according to SB County.

Flash flood warnings were in effect for inland Santa Barbara and Ojai through 4:45 this afternoon, reported KTLA5. The outlet also indicated “significant rainfall” is expected in Los Angeles after 8 p.m. as the brunt of the storm system is expected to arrive. There is another band moving in Tuesday morning. As that weather moves out, high winds are expected.

Flood watches are in effect from late Monday through Tuesday evening for the Los Angeles County coast, mountains, downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, San Gabriel and Antelope valleys, specifically Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Palmdale, Santa Monica, Northridge, Universal City, Zuma Beach, Burbank, Beverly Hills, Valencia, Santa Clarita, East Los Angeles, Newhall, Acton, Redondo Beach, Hollywood, Mount Wilson, Compton, San Gabriel, Woodland Hills, Downey, Palos Verdes, Culver City, Malibu, Norwalk, Long Beach, Castaic Lake, El Monte, Torrance, Pomona, Lakewood, LAX, and Lancaster.

A flood watch was also issued for Orange County locales including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Fullerton and Mission Viejo and the Santa Ana Mountains and foothills.

Rainfall amounts were on track for 2-4 inches for the coast and valleys, and up to 4-8 inches in the mountains, forecasters said.

“Biggest concern continues to be near the recent burn scars, though all areas will be susceptible to at least minor flooding issues through early Tuesday,” according to the NWS.

Due to the threat of flooding and debris flows in recent burn areas, Los Angeles County officials issued an evacuation warning for residents in the Lake Hughes and Kings Canyon area that will be in effect through Tuesday. Residents were warned to prepare to evacuate by gathering important materials and being ready to leave quickly.

The National Weather Service also warned of gales and high surf through Tuesday.

A series of powerful storms are expected to pass through Northern California this week, moving into Southern California thereafter. An atmospheric river event pounded Northern California last week causing flooding, power outages and heavy snowfall in the mountain areas.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the entire state of California on Sunday and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide emergency resources, the White House said in a statement.

In a move likely to snarl traffic between Beverly Hills-West Hollywood and the Valley, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation implemented a road closure of Mulholland Drive between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Drive in anticipation of the storm activity.

Partly sunny skies will return Wednesday and Thursday, but more rain is possible next weekend, possibly as early as Friday night, according to the NWS.

City News Service contributed to this report. By Tom Tapp source