Just How Snowy And Cold Has It Been Here In Southern California? Some Details Might Surprise You

Around this time a year ago, we were deep in drought and wrapping up another hotter than usual winter.

Now, we’ve got chilly temperatures and an overwhelming amount of snow.

So, just how out of the ordinary has this winter been?

Our snowpack across the Southern Sierra is at 232% of normal, and downtown L.A. is experiencing chilly daytime highs we haven’t seen since the 1970s.

So much snow

We’ve had a steady flow of snow for some months now, but this most recent storm dumped an unprecedented amount of powder, particularly on the San Bernardino Mountains, leaving people stranded and needing rescue.

“Fifty to 110 inches of snow in a seven-day period. We haven’t recorded that before,” said Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

In Big Bear, 81 inches fell in just one seven-day period. The last time records show anything close was when the area was inundated with 58 inches in 1979.

One silver lining: All that rain and snow has made a dent in drought conditions in the state.

Read more: Some Of California Is Free Of Drought, But The Climate Crisis Is Changing What That Means

So many cold days

You also have to go back to the 1970s to find a time when downtown L.A.’s daily highs have been this cold through winter. So basically, no 72…