Southern California's cold snap continues, but warmer days ahead

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A rare sight in Southern California leads Ryan Schulenburg, 19, of Foothill Ranch, to go sledding in his beach sandals on a hillside in Robinson Ranch. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A rare sight in Southern California features a snowy winter scene in a Robinson Ranch backyard. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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People enjoy the unusual sight of snow and snowmen off De Luz Road after the snow level dropped below 2,000 feet during Tuesday night’s winter storm just outside Murrieta. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Homes on the hillsides off Rancho California Road are covered in snow after the snow level dropped below 2,000 feet during Tuesday night’s winter storm north of Temecula. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Sledders enjoy the snow in an open field off De Luz Road. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Erik Castro of Robinson Ranch goes sledding down a hillside in Robinson Ranch. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Murrieta residents Shelby Dunn, Sara Bhatt and Victoria Acevedo break into laughter after crashing their sled into a bush on a slope at the end of Vineyard Parkway in Murrieta. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Murrieta resident Shelby Dunn holds on tightly to her sledding dish while she glides down a slope at the end of Vineyard Parkway in Murrieta. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow melts on a cactus on a hillside in Robinson Ranch. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Boats washed ashore in Avalon after an overnight storm on Catalina Island. Officials said a Harbor Patrol officer died in the storm. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow-covered palm trees after an unusual snowfall at Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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High winds blew down a huge pine tree onto a home in La Crescenta. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Grand Avenue in Lake Elsinore after overnight snowstorm. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Ariana Zacarias, 16, right, with her mother Christina Barragan, 40, make a snowman in front of their home on Hillview Lane after an unusual snowfall in Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A snow-covered vehicle in Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Hillspring Road is covered in snow in Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A section of Wesley Street is blocked due to a fallen tree after the storm in Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A snowman stands on the sidewalk on Main Street in Old Town Temecula after a fast-moving winter storm dumped snow on several Riverside County communities. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Monica Siacoco, 18, of La Verne keeps warm under a blanket on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on Wednesday while waiting to watch Thursday’s Rose Parade. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Tourists take pictures on Main Street in Old Town Temecula after a fast-moving winter storm dumped snow in several Riverside County communities. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Tourists take pictures on Main Street in Old Town Temecula after a fast-moving winter storm dumped snow in several Riverside County communities. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow surrounds homes on hills in Lake Elsinore. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Main Street in Old Town Temecula is slushy and cold after a fast-moving winter storm dumped a foot of snow in several moved through. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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New Year’s Eve blanket of snow in Temecula. (Terri Hubbard / For the Los Angeles Times)

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A blanket of snow left by an overnight storm covers the Santa Ana Mountains framed by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Aliso Viejo. (Marc Martin / Los Angeles Times)

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A rare dusting of snow in the Santa Ana Mountains. (Mark Yemma / Los Angeles Times)

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Highway 74 was closed Dec. 31 as plunging temperatures brought snow to Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A snowy morning Dec. 31 in Santiago Canyon in Orange County. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow covered local mountains amid a storm that brought snow to elevations as low as 2,000 feet above sea level. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Ortega Highway, connecting Riverside and Orange counties, was closed, with reports of stranded motorists early Wednesday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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The snow comes down in the predawn hours in Temecula on Dec. 31. (Jamie Boster / For The Times)

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Children in Temecula take advantage of a snowstorm Dec. 31. (Jamie Boster / For The Times)

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A child treks through the snow in Temecula in the New Year’s Eve 2014 storm. (Jamie Boster / For The Times)

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Riverside County sheriff’s deputies were on hand at the Ortega Highway road closure in Lake Elsinore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Lake Elsinore was dusted in snow as a wet winter storm stranded motorists and iced over Southern California mountains. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By Joseph Serna

and Tony Perry

Jan. 2, 2015 7:44 AM PT

A cold snap that broke records in parts of Southern California will soon be thawed by the merciful sun, the National Weather Service said Friday.

For two nights, residents from Los Angeles County to San Diego County have chilled under a windy, cold air mass that’s pushed temperatures below freezing and dropped snow onto curvy mountain town roads.

“Right now, I have two layers on and I’m indoors,” said meteorologist Todd Hall at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard bureau. “Out here at our office, they were lighting the heaters last night. Things were cold.”

But relief is in sight, he said.

Over the next few days, the cold air will move southeast toward Arizona and be replaced by a warmer weather system. By Tuesday, it could be sunny and in the 70s in downtown Los Angeles, Hall said.

Since Wednesday, a Canadian storm has moved across Southern California, with strong winds that have toppled big rigs and unmoored boats, and piles of snow that have closed mountain passes and trapped motorists.

On New Year’s Day the temperature at Los Angeles International Airport dropped to 36 degrees, breaking the record for the date set in 1972.

In San Diego County, officials Friday were warning about a possible repeat of traffic gridlock as people flocked to Julian to enjoy the snow in a mountain community known for its apple-pie delicacies.

The day before, traffic was at a standstill for miles, backed up to Ramona on Highway 78 and to Interstate 8 on the Sunrise Highway. Parking in Julian was virtually non-existent by early morning Thursday.

The Sheriff’s Department recommends that anyone coming to Julian be prepared with a full tank of gas, water and food “in case you are stranded in traffic for hours,” said Sgt. Carlos Medina.

Visitors are also asked to stay off private property and be aware that there are few public restrooms in Julian.

On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol reported 20 vehicle collisions in snow-covered roads in the area. In other parts of San Diego and Riverside counties, new record-lows were reached in Ramona and Thermal, where temperatures plummeted to 25 and 21 degrees, respectively.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

Southern California’s cold snap continues, but warmer days ahead

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