Mountain communities in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties are bearing the brunt of the latest storm rolling into Southern California, but some people opted to use the cold Valentine’s Day weather to hit Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood.
“We wanted to do something different because I checked the restaurants and everything is booked and really hard to reserve,” said Los Angeles resident Brandon Burgos, who headed up to Wrightwood with Mari Raya for the day. “I didn’t want to look anymore, so I said, ‘Let’s just go to the snow.’”
The couple were not the only ones opting for a different type of Valentine’s Day.
“It’s actually my first time snowboarding and I’m not going to lie, I fell at least 100 times up there, but ultimately it was a really fun experience,” Los Angeles resident Ashli West told KTLA.
While it was a spectacular day at the resort, the sunny skies are not expected to last long.
“It’s been closer to spring conditions, but with this cold front coming in, we do expect to make some snow,” said Zach Longacre with Mountain High Resort.
A bitter cold front is moving through the local mountain communities, bringing fresh snow that visitors to the area can enjoy for the President’s Day weekend ahead.
“The storm is coming down directly from the north,” Alex Tardy, with the National Weather Service, told KTLA. “So it’s a cold storm, probably the coldest one we’ve seen all year.”
Parts of the Inland Empire, like Riverside, Fontana and Corona are expected to see freezing temperatures by midnight.
Tardy said the storm will be fast, but it’s expected to pack a punch in a span of about two hours in areas like Wrightwood, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, which may get about two inches of snow.
Most areas impacted by the storm, according to Tardy, will see winds as high as 50-60 miles per hour, which will have the potential to blow down trees and power lines.
Many people in the mountains say they’ll make sure to get out before the storm rolls in, so they can avoid dangerous road conditions.
High wind warnings are in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday evening for some areas, including the San Bernardino County Mountains.