Snow Blankets Grapevine; More Expected

An overnight snowfall and chilly temperatures draped a blanket of snow over the Grapevine area Monday, as low temperatures across northern Los Angeles County kept residents huddled by their heaters.

Forecasters said the 3.5 inches of snow that coated the mountains in northwestern L.A. County on Monday morning will probably be bolstered by further snowfalls later this week. That’s unwelcome news for commuters, who Monday had to brave the sleek stretches of the Golden State Freeway that wind through the peaks.

“Fog is moving in and out of the mountains” at the Kern County line, CHP Officer Gary Goldenberg said. “It’s slow going.”

Goldenberg said when the fog touches the chilled blacktop of the freeway it freezes into extremely thin patches of ice, a condition which led to several fender-benders on the northbound side of the freeway at the county line.

In the San Fernando Valley, temperatures dipped as low as 35 degrees in Woodland Hills early Monday, and overnight lows tonight are expected to again plunge into the 30s.