As a winter storm grips southern California this weekend, snowflakes have started to fall in Los Angeles, including around the famous Hollywood sign.
When it dropped to 39F (4C) on Friday morning, San Francisco broke a record low temperature of 132 years. .
Tens of millions of residents in the Golden state are under blizzard, wind and flood warnings.
Nearly a million homes from coast to coast have been left without power due to the storms.
The West Coast's north-south motorway, Interstate 5, was partially closed south of the Oregon border. .
The first blizzard warning in more than three decades is in effect for Los Angeles, a city known for its palm trees and sun-kissed boulevards.
On Friday, city dwellers gathered to take in the unusual sight of snowflakes swirling around the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee. .
Officials issued a warning about widespread flooding in neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, but elsewhere in the city, flooding trapped cars in North Hollywood.
Significant mountain snowfall is anticipated from Friday night into early Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned, with significant effects on infrastructure and travel. .
Power lines and fallen trees are potential hazards. Over areas where snowfall is unusual, lower elevations may experience significant snowfall. ".
The NWS warned swimmers on the state's world-famous beaches to beware of "strong rip currents and high surf".
Between 60 cm and 2 point 1 meters of snow can be expected in mountain communities. Avalanche warnings have been posted in some areas.
The LA Times reports that some weather forecasters in the Los Angeles area saw thunder snow. .
Sometimes severe winter storms are accompanied by the unusual phenomenon that combines lightning and blizzards. .
The Mojave Desert, the Santa Clarita Valley, and the Inland Empire are other regions of California that will experience a rare snowfall. .
The city of Portland, Oregon, experienced one of its snowiest days ever earlier in the week when the storm dumped snow farther north along the West Coast, including there.
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