It was a white Thanksgiving in Southern California, as a “weather whiplash” storm dumped several inches of snow in some regions — and helped to extinguish a wildfire, according to a new report.
Up to 8 inches of snow fell in some parts of the Antelope Valley, at the western tip of the Mojave Desert, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Over the last two days, Lancaster has seen 4 to 5 inches of snow and 3 inches fell in nearby Palmdale, the paper reported.
Part of Interstate 5 was also closed amid heavy snow, according to the report.
The snow helped extinguish a blaze known as the Cave Fire in Santa Barbara County that had threatened homes earlier in the week, authorities told the outlet.
“This is just really unique. We’ve never had fire with active snowfall near the point of origin. It’s very unusual,” county fire department spokesman Mike Eliason told the outlet. “It was a very thankful moment. Thankful that no one got injured, no one lost their home. That the snow came over heavy rain. And I’m just thankful that everybody got home safe.”
The weather was a significant departure from conditions earlier this month, climatologist Bill Patzert noted.
“It was weather whiplash — an abrupt change from hot and dry to unusually frigid,” he told the outlet. “Like 0 to 60 in a Tesla.”
Meanwhile, intense downpours have drenched other parts of Southern California.
The Los Angeles Basin saw half an inch to 1 ¼ inches of rain over a 12-hour period ending Thursday morning, the National Weather Service told the Times.
San Francisco — which, for the most part, has been dry for about eight months — saw about an inch of rain, along with pea-sized hail.
The snow brought a mixture of glee and dismay to Californians on Twitter.
“It’s actually snowing in California!!!” one person wrote. “It’s been so so long since we last had snow where I live! THIS IS AMAZING!!!! It’s SOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!”
“People are excited about snow in California,” another user shared. “THATS SCARY AS HELL. IT AINT SUPPOSED TO SNOW HERE GUYS.”
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