Local resorts were preparing for crowds as a winter storm was expected to dump as much as a foot of snow on local mountains this weekend.

Snow is expected to fall Saturday night through early Monday, with Sunday getting the brunt of the white stuff, according to the National Weather Service. That means the weekend is going to bring hazardous driving conditions and a Sunday during which you'll be getting wet if you really have to have the freshest powder.

We predict that a virulent one-day virus will affect a large swath of the SoCal workforce on Monday, though.

“Monday might be the good time to go,” says NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell. “Snow will be the biggest newsmaker from this system.”

Bundle up, because mountain high temperatures will only reach into the 30s, and lows will be in the 20s, he said.

Snow levels will reach down to the 5,500-foot elevation level Saturday, with 4 to 8 inches possible, and then down to 4,000 feet or lower on Sunday, with up to a foot of snow possible above 7,000 feet, Kittell said. 

“This is looking like the best chance of the season to enjoy some deep powder conditions,” states the Snow Summit resort near Big Bear.

The rest of us will enjoy a chance of light rain tonight, likely rain tomorrow night, and possible lingering showers through Monday night, Kittell said. The winter storm is the result of a low pressure system over our area that “sits there on Sunday and gradually makes its way out on Monday,” he said.

Credit: The Camp of Champions

Credit: The Camp of Champions

The L.A. basin is looking to get a tenth of an inch to half an inch of rain from the storm, Kittell said. High temps in the basin over the weekend will be in the low to mid 60s, with lows in the 50s and even down into the 40s for some valleys, he said.

Storm surf could reach 7 to 8 feet, Kittell said. But don't get too excited. Blustery onshore winds, with gusts as high as 20 miles per hour, will accompany those waves, he said.

Keep an eye on your forecast Sunday, too, because the snow levels will be low enough to coat the 5 freeway Grapevine with snow, Kittell said. As you know, that could result in a wintry parking lot for the Monday morning commute.

Is this winter's last gasp in Southern California? Not just yet. Kittell says March storms are not unheard of. In fact, some of our heaviest weather has come in March in years past.

Stay cozy.

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