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A fast-moving winter storm barreled into Southern California early Thursday, bringing snow that closed the 5 Freeway in the Grapevine, Angeles Crest Highway and the 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass and rain that flooded freeways across Los Angeles County.

The second of two storms this week from the Gulf of Alaska arrived on Christmas Day and continued dumping rain and snow across the southern portion of the state Thursday. Most of L.A. County has already received 1½ to 2½ inches of rain. Some regions were hit with up to 3 inches, said Tom Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

While the worst of the storm has passed, Fisher said it probably will remain drizzly throughout the day. Up to half an inch of rain is expected to fall across the region before the storm is gone.

“Some areas are going to see a bit of sun, and then an hour later, it’ll cloud up again,” he said. “It’s going to be one of those days.”

Heavy snow that blanketed mountain ranges and made for difficult Christmas Day travel is expected to linger through Friday. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the San Diego and Santa Barbara County mountains for Thursday, saying heavy snow could make for dangerous travel. Up to 14 inches is expected to fall in the Santa Barbara County mountains in areas above 5,000 feet, while up to 8 inches is expected above 3,500 feet. In the mountains in San Diego County, including the cities of Julian and Pine Valley, accumulations up to 8 inches are expected up to 4,500 feet and up to 16 inches above 5,000 feet, according to the weather service.

About 4 inches of snow also fell on the Antelope Valley overnight, and another 4 inches is expected to fall throughout the day, Fisher said.

The California Highway Patrol said that around 10:30 p.m., there were multiple vehicles stuck on the 5 Freeway at the Grapevine amid heavy snowfall. Video from the 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass early Thursday showed cars stopped on the road as flurries fell around them. The Angeles Crest Highway between Newcomb’s Ranch and Highway 39 is closed because of snow, as is Highway 33 in Ventura County.

Certain mountain areas could get as much as 2 feet of fresh powder, leaving the Mountain High and Mt. Baldy ski resorts primed for great conditions. Heavy snowfall could lead to whiteouts, the National Weather Service warned.

“There’s going to be gusty east to southeast winds between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph. That means there will be snow, blowing wind, fog and low visibility,” Fisher said.

While much of the L.A. Basin escaped the snow, the pounding rain was enough to break at least one record and cause traffic headaches. In Long Beach, the storm dumped 1.03 inches of rain Wednesday, shattering the previous record for the day of 0.89 inches set in 1968.

The pouring rain caused the southbound lanes of the 710 Freeway at Slauson Avenue to flood about 1:30 a.m., forcing the California Highway Patrol to close the freeway for several hours. The transition from the westbound 91 Freeway to the northbound 605 Freeway was closed early Thursday after a tree toppled onto the road.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews rescued a man from 3 to 6 feet of water in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys about 2:15 a.m., authorities said. The 52-year-old man was brought to safety and evaluated for potential hypothermia, according to spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

The storm also prompted a tornado warning late Wednesday for parts of the Santa Barbara County coast, which was hit by powerful winds as well as rain. The warning expired at 10:30 p.m., and there were no reports of damage. But the area saw about 2 inches of rain.

Orange County got its own tornado warning early Thursday morning after a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a twister was spotted near Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, moving north at 35 mph. The tornado warning was canceled about 10 minutes later after the storm weakened, but residents were jolted awake by the emergency alerts.

This storm comes on the heels of a system that brought heavy rain — up to 3 inches in some areas in Southern California — on Sunday and Monday.

The downpour also made living conditions for migrants at a shelter close to the U.S.-Mexico border even more difficult Monday as flooding and foul sewage backups soiled the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter.

“The stench burns your nostrils and makes you want to puke,” said Antonio Jaramillo, a Mexican migrant who is in Tijuana after being deported from the United States. “I’m pretty sure this happens every time it rains, with the black water.”

The latest round of rain could exacerbate problems at the shelter, which has roughly 100 people staying in tents in a large indoor space.

The rain in Southern California is expected to taper off late Thursday, making way for clear skies through the weekend. But don’t stash the umbrellas yet, as forecasters say more rain looks to be on the way early next week.

San Diego Union-Tribune writer Wendy Fry contributed to this report, as did Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II and Benjamin Oreskes.