Cold Snap to the North : Mild Weather on Tap for Weekend

Though there is some snow predicted for Northern California’s mountain areas and high winds in the desert to the south, Los Angeles’ weather this weekend will be no worse than it has been for the past few days and it might even be a bit better, forecasters said Thursday.

A cold Pacific storm began moving Thursday night into Northern California, bringing high winds and snow to the Lake Tahoe Basin, the High Sierra and the Mt. Shasta areas. Experts at the National Weather Service warned travelers to prepare for winter weather, to carry chains in their cars and to avoid trouble by keeping up to date on weather and highway conditions.

By late today, there could be snow as low as the floors of mountain valleys in northern and central parts of the state, said officials. Forecasters warned farmers and ranchers that temperatures could fall so low they should take measures to protect young animals.

The storm is bringing widespread rain to the northern coast of California, and it is also moving into southeast Nevada.

Gusty Winds in Mojave Area

Winds of more than 50 m.p.h. swept through the Mojave area of the Kern County desert region Thursday, gusting in some places to 70 m.p.h. The National Weather Service office in Bakersfield issued a high wind warning and told motorists to drive carefully, especially those traveling in campers, vans and trucks.

In some areas, there may be the added danger of poor visibility from blowing sand, forecasters warned.

It was also windy in the northern and southern deserts Thursday. The strongest winds there were 35 m.p.h. or less.

Showers are lingering in Southern California, and skies will remain partly cloudy in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday. There will be some afternoon sunshine, but little change is expected in afternoon temperatures.

In Los Angeles, the maximum temperature today and Saturday will be in the mid- to upper-60s, with lows in the mid-50s. Along the Southern California coast, high temperatures today and Saturday will be in the 60s, but lows will may be down to the mid-40s. It will be much the same in the San Fernando, San Gabriel and San Bernardino valleys.

For surfers, waves will be two to four feet high from Zuma Beach to San Diego County, and they’ll be coming in steadily at 12-second intervals.

In the mountains of Southern California, it will continue cool, with lows in the 30s and highs in the 40s to mid-50s, and there will be westerly winds up to 30 m.p.h at times.

In desert areas, highs will be close to 80 degrees, but lows will drop to the 40s and 50s.

Los Angeles’ high temperature Thursday was 67. The low was 54.