Hold on to your hats, Los Angeles! The National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning for this afternoon due to the return of gusty offshore wind conditions in L.A. and Ventura mountain areas. The Santa Ana winds are back, and with them come wildfire conditions. more ›

A gust of wind. A dog barks. Cue the truck. An "offshore breeze" will be accompanying a warm weekend of clear skies and 70s highs by the beaches with temps up to the 90s expected for inland and valley areas, notes CBS Local. Sunrise Saturday saw heavy wind and coolness in the mountains with 56 mph gusts reported in Malibu (64 mph near Mount Wilson). more ›

The National Weather Service says we're getting "a very cold storm system" today and tonight, and it's packing "significant and low level snow." In the mountains, they're due for steady snowfall, and when that very cold air mass settles, the snow level will drop to between 500 and 1500 feet tonight and tomorrow. more ›

A man who went missing on Saturday has been found in Mount San Jacinto in Riverside County, and is in good condition, according to ABC News. Dr. Brian Carrico, 57 of Redondo Beach hadn't been heard from since leaving for the hike on Saturday, alone. ABC reports that he became disoriented when he found himself in a whiteout, and in temperatures that dropped down to the teens. more ›

The rain returned to SoCal Thursday night and hung on most of yesterday. And the wet weather continues today and into tomorrow. Much of the region is under a winter storm warning, in fact, as this current system is expected to bring heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The National Weather Service's forecast is pretty grim, as it calls for periods of rain and snow to "increase in intensity this afternoon then continue heavy at times through early Sunday morning," when the precipitation will likely begin to wind down. more ›

Over in Copenhagen, world leaders are meeting to discuss and hopefully come to an agreement on emissions and global warming. But what are scientists saying about global warming here in California? One interesting and odd nugget is about bristlecone pine trees that are found mountain areas. Scientists are finding that the higher the temperature, the wider a tree's ring measures, which indicates its annual growth. The trees in high altitude areas, which live for thousands of years, have experienced faster normal growth since 1951, according to Discovery. more ›

Stretching across the border of Los Angeles and Kern counties and tucked between the Tehapachi and San Emigdio Mountains is the Tejon Pass. We often call it The Grapevine, the portion of the 5 freeway that divides Southern and Central California. The recent winter storm kept us nice and warm here in Los Angeles, but our local mountains saw a change in weather. Hello, December! more ›

The Los Angeles region could get another National Recreation Area congressional designation under a study that is proposing three different concepts for the San Gabriel watershed and mountains. Congress directed the National Parks Service to study and evaluate resources in a large area from the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys down to the Orange County border. No, it doesn't mean we'd be within minutes of a new National Park in the traditional sense--Yosemite, Joshua Tree--but it could mean better managed cultural sites or new trails and protected open spaces. more ›

The weather gods spared our weekend, but come tonight, the dry spell is over (and no, that's not a post-Valentine's Day nookie reference). We're talking rain, and lots of it. more ›

A winter storm watch will be in effect Saturday afternoon through late night, advised the National Weather Service today. That means get your boards out as "there is a potential for a combination of significant snow, strong winds and dense fog that may impact travel," they said. The first snow could fall on the northern slopes of local mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and could lower snow levels from 5500 to 3500 feet by late Saturday. But snow up there can be mean rain down here in the city. Not only that, add in the possibility of 30 to 45 MPH wind with gusts up to 60 MPH. If you're driving over the grapevine tomorrow, beware: the 5 Freeway in Frazier Park could have "near white out conditions." more ›

In the comments section of the Franklin Canyon Wednesday Workout post, we were chatting about a supposed plaque that marked the center of Los Angeles. Despite my familiarity with the park, I had never seen it. So, the search was on. And it wasn't that hard as, of course, Franklin Canyon staff had it clearly marked on a free map available at the Sooky Goldman Nature Center within the park. more ›

From a weekend heatwave to a rainy and snowy day in Southern California. A reader wrote in an e-mail to us "It's hailing! But it only lasted a second here in Northridge." more ›

We have one Sooky Goldman to thank for the treasure that is Franklin Canyon, which sounds like a subplot out of "Chinatown": more ›

Seeing such a dominant swath of white broadly blanketing the mountaintops behind our downtown skyline is rare, and LAist Featured Photos Pool contributor jslander teases in this photo's title: "L.A. or Denver?" more ›

And maybe some rain boots too. The weather that might have ruined the Rose Parade should strike Los Angeles tomorrow. The LA Times reports that the next four days of rain will most likely bring the most rain in "Southern California since 2005, and possibly even since the 1990s..." more ›