Southern California mountains see season’s first snow, with another storm forecast for next week
A mountain view near Mt. Lowe. A record-breaking snowfall is predicted for the upcoming winter on the north slope. A mountain view near Mt. Lowe. A record-breaking snowfall is predicted for the upcoming winter on the north slope. Photo: John Storey Photo: John Storey Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Southern California mountains see season’s first snow, with another storm forecast for next week 1 / 7 Back to Gallery
By Jennifer O’Connell, The Record Searchlight
LOS ANGELES – “I saw a huge snow pile and it was like a snowman in front of me.”
That was the first thing that popped into my head the other morning when I stepped out of my house to check on this year’s first snows of the season. The view of Mt. Baldy and its rolling hills was stunning and, at 10,000 feet, I couldn’t see the top of the mountain.
Mt. Baldy looked like it had been dipped in chocolate. But I figured at some point I’d be back on the mountain.
The next morning, when I checked on the first snows a little later in the day, it was gone, too.
“It’s only snow on one side of the mountain,” said the retired ski instructor.
Mt. Baldy is a big mountain and it’s the tallest in San Bernardino County, at 1,700 feet. It is the third highest peak in Southern California. Mountain snow is rare for this time of year, the last snow being recorded in February. But this week, as I stood on the top of the mountain admiring the view, the first big one of the season dropped on the north side, not just in the parking lot but on the mountain itself.
“It was about the size of my hand,” said John Storey, who owns Ski Lava.
John had been on the mountain the day before for the first snow of the season, but only his back side was open and he was in the backcountry. The