Freezing weather will grip parts of the Southland this morning on a day when strong Santa Ana winds will sweep the region, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings for areas north of Los Angeles County for this morning and said the only reason it was not slapping one on the Antelope Valley as well was that this portion of L.A. County “has already had multiple hard freeze episodes this year,” meaning a hard freeze is nothing especially novel.
But the Antelope Valley will remain the region’s “coldest non-mountain location” Monday, according to an NWS statement.
A hard freeze warning denotes the expectation of two or more straight hours of temperatures of 28 degrees Fahrenheit or less. A less serious frost advisory will be in effect until 9 a.m. in the Santa Monica Mountain Recreational Area and the San Fernando and Santa Gabriel valleys.
Potentially damaging offshore winds are also in Monday’s forecast. A high wind warning heralding winds or gusts of 58 miles per hour will be in effect in the Santa Monica Mountains until noon, when it will be replaced by a less serious wind advisory lasting until 9 p.m. This mountain area is forecast to be swept by winds of 25 to 40 mph accompanied by 65-mph gusts.
A wind advisory, which indicates an expectation of 35 mph winds, also will be in force until 9 tonight in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, L.A County beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles, including the downtown area, and the Hollywood hills. On Santa Catalina Island, a wind advisory will expire at 3 p.m, and in inland Orange County at 10 this morning. The wind generally will blow at between 15 and 30 mph in those areas, gusting at around 40 mph.
Overnight, strong gusts were recorded around L.A County, including 64 miles per hour in the Malibu Hills, 56 mph in Chilao in the San Gabriel Mountains, 49 mph in the Newhall Pass, and 36 mph in Acton, according to the NWS.
The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County Monday and highs of 53 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 60 on Mount Wilson; 63 in Saugus; 66 in Avalon; 68 in San Gabriel; LAX, in Burbank and downtown L.A.; and 70 in Long Beach, Pasadena and Woodland Hills.
Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 66 in Laguna Beach; 67 in Newport Beach and San Clemente; 68 in Yorba Linda; and 70 in Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine and Mission Viejo.
Temperatures will be up to 8 degrees higher Tuesday but fall by as much as 10 degrees by Christmas Day.
