The Rain May Be Over, But It's About To Get Really, Really Cold

Heavy rains? Near-freezing temperatures? Yes, this is still Los Angeles. And yes, it’s time to break out your heavy(ish) coats.

A bit of snow fell in the mountains as a storm passed by Thursday and Friday, but while the winter weather advisory (read: snow) has expired for the Southland, this cold snap is about to dip further.

Widespread sub-freezing temperatures are expected to hit the mountains and valleys surrounding L.A. Saturday night, and will continue into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures in downtown Los Angeles will dip into the low 40s by 5 to 6 a.m. Sunday morning, and coastal areas will see temperatures in the mid-40s. Throughout the San Fernando Valley, temperatures will be in the mid-to-low 30s, with Woodland Hills and Westlake Village dropping the lowest. Residents of the Antelope Valley should expect lows for Saturday night into early Sunday morning to reach the low teens—and that’s before the wind chill factor. Yikes!

These lows are “quite a bit below normal”, Scott Sukup of the National Weather Service told LAist, “but they’re not historic lows”.

“Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during such cold snaps,” Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, MD, MPH, the Los Angeles County Interim Health Officer noted in a statement. “Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside. There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbeques or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (https://www.lahsa.org/ces/winter-shelter/) offers a Find A Shelter service on their website, as well as a Pick Up service.

Guess it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. At least the reindeer will be easy to spot: