A powerful and potentially dangerous winter storm moved into Southern California on Friday, dumping heaps of rain and snow and prompting severe weather warnings not often seen in the region.
The storm, which has already left a mess in Northern California, was gaining strength and moisture as it traveled south off the Pacific coast. Forecasters on Friday said it was tapping into an atmospheric river system, an enhanced plume of moisture that can deliver large amounts of precipitation.
A string of such storms pummeled California earlier this winter, causing widespread damage, flooding and more than 20 deaths.
Maurice, 50, sits outside Fred Jordan Mission in Los Angeles on Friday.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Low clouds cloak the snow-covered mountains above Acton, near the Antelope Valley, on Friday.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A car on Burbank Blvd. in Encino.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A LAFD firefighter helps evacuate a dog from a storm damaged home in Panorama City.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
LAFD firefighters help a homeowner evacuate belongings in Panorama City.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A boat heads out into choppy waters near Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara on Friday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The Braham family, visiting from France, from left, Joanne Braham, her son Elliott, daughter Evie and husband Jean-Mark, brave the elements while walking back to their hotel after visiting Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Officers with the California Highway Patrol turn northbound big rigs around on Interstate 5 at Lake Hughes Road in Castaic on Friday. The Grapevine route will be closed overnight, and there is no definitive time for reopening.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Motorists drive through a flooded area of Vanowen Street in North Hollywood amid heavy rain Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Snow flurries fall while vehicles travel along Interstate 5 in the Grapevine area on Thursday.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A Jurassic scene in Cabazon as snow covers the nearby mountains.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A lone cow stands in a snow-covered pasture in Yucaipa on Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Bailey Griffin, 6, of Yucaipa catches snow on her tongue at Yucaipa Community Park on Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A storm front drops precipitation as it drifts across the Los Angeles Basin on Thursday. Cold and wet weather, with plenty of snow in local mountains, are forecast for Southern California this week.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
People snowboard and sled down a hill as they revel in the rare sight of falling snow in Southern California at Yucaipa Community Park on Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A rainbow forms as a storm front drops precipitation across the Los Angeles Basin as cold and wet weather are forecast for Southern California this week.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Walkers make their way toward the darkness of rain clouds at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City on Thursday afternoon.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Katelynn Chavez, 17, and Pedro Ruiz, 16, taking advantage of a rare snow day off school, hug after making a snowman at Yucaipa Community Park.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Gus Bolton, left, and his brother Darcy take in the view from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon as storm clouds move over the city.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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A rare snowfall in Southern California in Yucaipa on Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Snow blankets Yosemite National Park.
(Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency )
A wave crashes into the breakwater at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
High winds blow sand inland, pelting walkers and forming piles along Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach on Wednesday.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
A man waits for a bus during a downpour that fills the street in Encino on Friday.
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