Rain is projected for the Santa Clarita Valley over the next week, while snowfall may occur in the Grapevine, according to officials at the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service have predicted residents will see less than a few inches of rain between two different weather systems reaching the SCV on Saturday night and then again on Sunday night heading into Monday.
However, the Grapevine might see 2 to 4 inches of precipitation, which has resulted in “Operation Snowflake” being put into effect by the California Highway Patrol Fort Tejon office.
“Operation Snowflake” is a process that involves a period of time in which weather forces law enforcement officials to either implement closures of the Grapevine, create contingency plans, and/or provide detours around the snow-covered pass.
“It really looks like most of the intensity of the rain is going to happen overnight on Sunday,” said Tom Fisher, a meteorologist at the NWS. “We’re looking at a quarter to a third of an inch in the coast and valleys.”
Fort Tejon CHP officials said they expect the impending stormy weather to create snowfall below 4,500 feet, and that the heavy sustained snowfall is expected to start Sunday.
“The storm is expected to continue throughout the week,” Tejon officials said in their statement issued via social media on Saturday. They added that, as of 2 p.m. Saturday, Interstate 5 and the Grapevine remain open and that they were only issuing “closure warnings” so far.
The rainfall is expected to subside after Monday, but a new system is expected to reach the SCV on Thursday which Fisher said looks even wetter.
“We’re waiting for confidence in the timing … (but) this system looks even wetter than what we’re having Sunday night into Monday,” said Fisher. “So check back with us as we kind of refine the forecast as we go along, increasing our confidence on the timing and the amount (of rain and snow).”
