Photos: Huntington Beach Looks Like It's Covered In Snow

Huntington Beach residents woke up to a surprise this morning: the city looked like it was covered in a blanket of snow. However, it turns out there wasn't a snowstorm but it was rather hail that turned the beach city into a winter wonderland.

National Weather Service San Diego forecaster Mike Watkins told LAist that the hail pellets were up to a quarter of an inch in diameter, about the size of a BB bullet to a pea, and covered the city an inch deep. The hail storm occurred due to a convective rain shower with a fair amount of precipitation, he said. There could be more hail coming in this afternoon.

While Watkins doesn't know exactly when the last time this happened in Huntington Beach, he said he believes it happens about once every couple of years. "It’s not like it’s unheard of or a phenomenon but [it has a] higher profile because it’s at a high-profile beach," Watkins said.

Folks in Huntington Beach got excited that the beach, pier, residential streets and shopping plazas were dusted with some icy white hail. A surfer wearing a wet suit made a snow angel, someone built a mini snowman, and another person decided to do some donuts in their truck on the icy roads.

Stay weird, Huntington Beach.