After several days of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s, the Department of Public Health issued a cold-weather alert Friday for next week’s forecast.
“We have a couple of pretty cold systems coming in over the next few days,” said Dave Gomberg, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A system moving in Saturday could drop a 10th of an inch of rain into Sunday, he said, while the high hits 58 degrees, the start of cooler air moving into the area.
The systems are also expected to bring a light dusting of snow to lower altitudes, which would have the potential to make commuting through any high-altitude passes more difficult, he added.
“With (Saturday’s) system, we’ll have some lower snow levels,” he said Friday, noting that at 3,000 to 3,500 feet, there won’t be much, but there could be “just enough to cause some problems” for Grapevine commuters.
While Monday is expected to be dry, the overnight temperatures into Tuesday are what prompted the alert, with the high that day predicted to be 52 degrees, with an overnight low of 34.
“Tuesday we actually do have another slight chance of showers,” Gomberg said.
“Right now, we’re thinking it’s mostly going to be confined to the mountain areas,” he said, referring to altitudes of 1,500 feet and above, “and along with that we expect strong northerly winds in the area, so that will really add to the coldness.”
For those concerned about exposure to cold weather, county Public Health officials pointed out the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has a winter shelter program for those who need it. Locations and transportation information are online at www.lahsa.org or by calling the L.A. County Information line at 2-1-1 from any landline or cell phone.
“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather,” according to a statement issued via news release from Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer. “Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside. … We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbecues or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
