December 16-28, 2019
Southern California Snow
A potent winter storm slammed Southern California on December 26, delivering heavy rain, snow, and even a tornado. The storm brought between 1 and 3.5 inches (2.5 and 9 centimeters) of rain to low-elevation areas. Several inches—or feet in some places—of snow fell on higher ground.
On December 28, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of snow stretching across the region. Note there is a line of scattered clouds—not snow—over the Los Angeles Basin that extends south along the coast.
Mountain High Resorts (elevation 8,200 feet/2500 meters) in Los Angeles County reported 36 inches of snow, prompting the popular ski and snowboard area to close temporarily. In the San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear Lake nearly broke an all-time winter snowfall record after receiving 18 inches of snow.
An EF0 tornado touched down briefly in Ventura County and caused minor damage. However, the storm system as a whole caused many road closures and plenty of traffic woes. In Joshua Tree National Park, the rare snowfall had a more calming effect. It delighted onlookers by coating the park’s distinctive spiny yucca plants with a blanket of white.
References & Resources
- Cactus Hug (2019, December 27) Photos: Joshua Tree and Pioneertown become a Winter Wonderland. Accessed December 31, 2019.
- Fox News (2019, December 27) Southern California slammed by winter snow storm, stranding holiday travelers; system now heads east. Accessed December 31, 2019.
- KTLA 5 (2019, December 26) Christmas Storm Leaves Antelope Valley Blanketed With Several Inches of Snow: NWS. Accessed December 31, 2019.
- Los Angeles Times (2019, December 26) L.A. is pounded by rain, heavy snow and a tornado in wild winter storm. Accessed December 31, 2019.
- National Weather Service (2019, December 26) Forecast Discussion. Accessed December 31, 2019.
- The Fresno Bee (2019, December 26) Holiday drivers traveling between Valley, Southern California impacted by snowstorm. Accessed December 31, 2019.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Caption by Adam Voiland.
