Freezing temperatures expected after warmest October on record in Southern California

Antelope Valley residents are in for a cold couple of days.

A frost warning issued for Wednesday morning -- meaning temperatures could hover just above 32 degrees -- will be followed by an advisory for possible freezing temperatures after sundown, the National Weather Service said.

The freeze advisory is in place for Lancaster, Palmdale and surrounding communities through Thursday morning but could stretch into Friday, the weather service said.

Residents in freeze-advisory areas are advised to keep pets and plants vulnerable to cold inside while the advisory is in place. By the weekend, it could warm up a few degrees, meteorologist Richard Thompson said.

The expected cold weather follows what was the warmest recorded October for much of Southern California, including Long Beach, downtown L.A. and Oxnard. It was the third-warmest October in Lancaster.

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Beach goers enjoy the cooler weather near the Seal Beach Pier.

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Dogs and their owners enjoyed the cooler weather at the Dog Beach in Huntington Beach.

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Ross Fletcher was photographing under the Seal Beach Pier as a way to stay cool in Seal Beach.

  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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A skim boarder rides the crest of a wave just north of the Wedge in Newport Beach.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Two swimmers and a skim boarder scramble to get away from one of the big waves crashing into the sand just north of the Wedge in Newport Beach.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Strong currents and a swell are combining to bring high waves to the Wedge in Newport Beach.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Sheroyn Gonzalez, 8, of Los Angeles, cools off while playing in the fountain at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.

  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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With misters cooling above, workers rush to get ice into local establishments before it melts in downtown Palm Springs, where the temperatures Monday reached the high 90s.

  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Misters help pedestrians keep cool in downtown Palm Springs.

  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s like flipping a switch” this time of year, Thompson said.

Skies were crystal clear Wednesday morning after two days of wet weather cleared out and allowed temperatures to drop dramatically overnight in Los Angeles County mountains, valleys and deserts.

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There were scattered showers across Southern California on Monday but farther north, from Mammoth Mountain to Truckee, resort communities saw anywhere from 11 to 30 inches of snow in a single day.

The snowfall was so bountiful in Mammoth that resorts decided to open a week on Thursday rather than on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, tourism officials said.

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