Fresh snow blankets Southern California mountains

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Jennifer and Carlos Rodriguez of Wrightwood with daughter Tiffany, 8, build snowmen on snow-covered picnic tables at a recreation area off Highway 2 after the recent storm dumped needed snow in the mountains on Dec. 17. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Schoolchildren climb over mounds of snow left by a snowplow off Park Drive after the recent storm dumped needed snow in the mountains in Wrightwood. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Skiers and snowboarders flocked to the slopes at Mountain High after the recent storm dumped needed snow in the mountains in Wrightwood. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

By Veronica Rocha

Dec. 17, 2014 11:06 AM PT

Nothing evokes excitement for winter like falling snow. And Southern Californians were feeling the joy Wednesday as the latest storm in a series of three dropped up to 10 inches of fresh snow on local mountains.

The National Weather Service reported that communities above 5,500 feet altitude in the San Bernardino Mountains were blanketed in 1 to 5 inches of snow, with 6 to 10 inches in areas above 7,500 feet.

The mid-December dusting is normal for the San Bernardinos, said weather service meteorologist Jimmy Taeger in San Diego.

The main storm band has pushed through the region, but some rain may linger through the day Wednesday, and another dusting of snow is possible.

“It feels like winter again,” said John McColly, spokesman of the Mountain High Ski Resort, which received 10 inches of snow overnight. “It feels like the winters we used to have years ago.”

Here’s a sampling of the latest snow totals:

-- Mt. Baldy received 8 to 10 inches of snow overnight.

-- Big Bear Resort received 5 to 7 inches of snow.

-- Wrightwood had 3 inches of new snow.

-- Running Springs and Idyllwild got 2 inches of snow, some of which had reportedly already melted.

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