Roads were flooded throughout Southern California and thousands of people lost power Saturday morning as an intense storm stranded some drivers on mountain roads amidst heavy snow, ice and rain.
The National Weather Service called the storm one of the strongest ever to hit the region.
The 5 Freeway at the Grapevine and Highway 14 were closed Saturday because of heavy snowfall and ice, creating dangerous conditions in the Southern California mountains.
The combination of heavy and blowing snow, low visibility and strong gusty south winds will create blizzard conditions, the National Weather Service advised.
It snowed in Redlands – a rare occurrence – on Saturday morning, as well as in the cities of Claremont, San Bernardino and Upland.
The pitter patter stopped, I looked out the window and …. snow?!?? pic.twitter.com/fa77z77KD4
— Jessica Keating (@keating_edits) February 25, 2023
TV footage across the region late Friday and early Saturday showed downed trees, cars submerged in flooded streets, water rescues and Caltrans crews working through the night and early morning to clear roads. All roads heading to and from Big Bear were reported closed. Some people were tweeting to Caltrans that they had been stuck on mountain roads for 15 hours.
Highway 14 remained closed between Sand Canyon Road and Sierra Highway as of 10 a.m. And flooding closed the 5 Freeway in both directions in the Glendale area. Traffic was being held up in the southbound lanes of the 5 near Main Street in Santa Ana while crews worked to clear water.
❄️WEATHER-RELATED CLOSURES🌧️
As of 8:30 AM, highways are being FULLY CLOSED at various locations due to snow or flooding. Limit your non-essential travel and stay home if possible! See 👇 for list of current highway closures in District 7. Photos are of snow on SR-14. pic.twitter.com/0AMWEjlSNh
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) February 25, 2023
Three motorhomes were swept into the Santa Clara River early Saturday when…
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