E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Damian Dovarganes / AP
A high school student covers from the cold wind while waiting a a bus stop in Los Angeles on Thursday.
A chill has left California frozen in its tracks, stranding motorists on snowy roadways and keeping everyone close to the warmth of their heaters.
A low pressure trough descending over San Diego County and over parts of neighboring Orange County could keep nightly temperatures below the freezing point in coastal areas, the low deserts and inland valleys, threatening orange, avocado orchards and other sensitive plants, forecasters warned, reported The Associated Press. Friday and Saturday nights were expected to be the coldest nights.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, as well as parts of the South and Midwest, a record warm 2012 was spilling over into the new year. Four Florida cities broke records for the month of January on Wednesday, weather.com reported, all with temperatures 85 degrees Fahrenheit or above. And on Thursday, in International Falls, Minn., the temperature climbed to 48 degrees, beating its previous record high for the day by seven degrees, according to weather.com.
Elsewhere across the country, Chicago and Detroit could reach highs in the 50s this weekend — weather that's typical for late March, weather.com reported. Temperatures in the 60s are forecast for Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, average weather for the second week in April in those locations, meteorologists said.
In all, two dozen cities may break their daily record highs Friday, weather.com forecast. And 40 or more cities in the South and East may tie or break daily record highs Saturday, including Rochester, N.Y., Columbus, Ohio, and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Those mild temperatures contrasted greatly to the Grapevine section of California's Interstate 5 — the crucial artery that links southern and northern California -- which shut down Thursday night, the AP reported. Heavy snow stranded motorists and truckers. Several accidents and spin-outs were reported before the California Highway Patrol closed the north-south route, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
"We're still dealing with some icy and snowy conditions along the Grapevine," said NBCLosAngeles.com forecaster Elita Loresca. "We'll see some improvement in and around the Grapevine, but frost advisories and freeze watches will be posted again tonight and, once again, overnight Saturday into Sunday."
Elsewhere, strawberry growers covered their crops with soft cloth to protect them.
"These guys are going to be up all night watching thermometers," Eric Larson of the San Diego County Farm Bureau told The AP.
Freezing temperatures weren't the only weather challenge in Southern California: Forecasters say a combination of high tides, high surf and strong winds will bring minor flooding to low-lying areas of the coast. The weather service issued coastal flood advisories for all counties from San Luis Obispo south to San Diego through Saturday morning, reported The AP.
Farther north in Sonoma County, homeless shelters were handing out warm clothes to protect the least fortunate from below-freezing temperatures overnight, according to The AP.
Even workers at San Diego's SeaWorld had plans to turn up the heat for their macaws, toucans and parrots. San Diego zookeepers were also heating rooms for chimpanzees, apes and other tropical animals.
"They'll probably be huddling together and not be in areas where people will be able to see them," zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons told The AP.
California isn't the only part of the country going through a cold snap. Parts of the Dakotas and northern Montana may not get above zero degrees this weekend, and Chicago may struggle to rise above freezing, weather.com said.
The Weather Channel's Jon Erdman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- 57 injured when commuter ferry crashes in Manhattan
- Washington National Cathedral to celebrate same-sex weddings
- Poisoned Chicago lottery winner had no enemies, widow says
- Supreme Court to decide whether police can take your blood without your permission
- 'Help me!': 911 call reveals teen's desperation after relatives shot in Aurora theater
- FBI: James Holmes' booby-trap used remote-control car, frying pan
- 'Wake-up call': Chicago set to break 73-year-old snowless record
- NOAA: 2012 was warmest year ever for US, second most 'extreme'
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
God's punishment for California's evil beach-loving ways!
Somethings up here. I live in NJ and I wake up to 28 degrees in the morning. This morning it was 32 and this afternoon it's 46.
Tomorrow it's going to be 46.Sun & Mon it's going to be 60. The Aliens are messing with our weather just F'king around with us. They have got to stop this immediately man!
Being in Northern California, the weather has been below averages all this year. 7-10 degrees below averages. Something about the warmer weather from the south and the normal storms from the north crashing together and causing some serious weather up here just north of Mt. Shasta. Our glaciers are actually growing and have been for some years now. However I also know if enough global warming continues, we will also get warmer eventually. Today's low 17, high 31 and it is beautiful and white outside. Not enough to hamper your day just enough to make it pretty. So I'll be going out and having some California "fun"!
It was 40 degrees for several days in Los Angeles last week. Why the push for news stories on "oh, it's so cold in California!" this week?
Actually, temps were in the mid to low 30s in my part of town last week. Why is it a news story now? Don't know, but I am worried about the citrus, avacados, and strawberries. Those of us who have shelter can deal with the cold, but mess with my favorite food crops.....
This is what happens when you elect an imbecile to President. He hires peanut heads. So people think that the last 100 years of weather is the norm. Well the US, the North American Continent, has been in this position for only a million years. 10,000 years ago Chicago had a mile thick glacier on top of it. The US Climate is simply following the trend of the last 20,000 years. Obama can't count that high! Neither can his appointees. They can't count to 200! So people make bad decisions because they don't know how old the earth is! Yes, Obama is a frickin' moron! a retard!
It still does...only difference is it isnt ice anymore. and it smells much worse.
Yea, scam artist capitalize on 40 to 80 dollar light bulbs that last half the time, then the old Edison bulb
Americans got sucker written all over their faces! At least Gore made millions on the stimulus
This is what happens when two big earthquakes happened in the last couple of years and knocked the earth slightly off of it's axis.that is the reason for the colder than normal weather here in California.I'm worried about the avocado and orange crops as they are expensive already.
Hey look......weather.......
In the past, I seldom turned on the heater; but I have to turn on the heater, for it is colder than the previous years, and I live in CA.
@Doug How are you so sure it God's punishment. Whether your joking or not. Many people would believe your
careless comment. I can also say that God doesn't punish by way of disaster or in the way people say.
Just another excuse. If your an atheist than you show some sort of belief in God.
du, ahh, mmm, are you a Sinner, or heathen? Either way you’re gonna freeze or cook!
This was covered and explained back in June. The wind patterns called Rossby Waves at the pole shifted from Zonal to Meridional.
Something that is entirely normal and happens from time to time.
Here is what was said back in June.
http://drtimball.com/2012/current-global-weather-patterns-normal-despite-government-and-media-distortions/
Just like now. The media is talking about warm weather in the east and cool weather in the west.
Now how about that. Some totally average person like me with no journalism, meteorology or activist background was able to supplement this story and actually EXPLAIN why it is cool in one place and warm in another.
Natural. Happens from time to time. Go about your day.
Them crazy aliens
I would go about my day but Fisty and Pigotry keep screwing with it. Where are those two tools today...
Waking up to 32 degrees here in San Diego IS news! Its so cold that the Life Guards at the Beach want people to stay out for fear of Hypothermia. Its COLD to us Southern Californians!!
The Eskimo would have a good wet day, and kill all your seals!
Call out Big Al !! He can save the day and the crops by deeming that there is global warming and he will send some to sunny San Diego!
Curious, how it is in the 50s in Chicago and how they also will struggle to make it above freezing. Someone needs to edit before publishing.
Is this news? Was this not expected in many predictions by climate change or global warming experts? There would be increase in temperature, but it will also lead to pockets of extreme weather, fluctuating weather and reversal of weather in some places. California has been colder than usual, and there has been more snow in the mountains than before and earlier in the season than usual. Great for skiers and snow addicts...but we don't if this is sudden unpredictable fluctuation or part of global warming.
There is one theory that some places or regions will get colder before becoming hotter. Some people see this as mini isolated ice age in some places with general tendency towards becoming like Venus or Mars. Some see it as reversal of Northern hemispheric conditions becoming Southern and vice versa. We are already seeing more storms and hurricanes in the South, and more warmer temperatures, droughts and desertification in the North.
Something is going on! Even weather experts and climatologists are struggling to get the details. Even climate reports don't carry enough about "micro systems" and that can be pretty powerful.
Wish that damn "global warming" would hurry up and get here.
Who cares about California. Its just a bunch of illegal aliens and libs.
same as Texas but with republicans,much worse..