Storm brings snow, freezing rain, wind to mountains

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Southland's local mountains were hit with some snow, freezing rain and wind as a cold system made its way through the region.

There was a layer of snow on the roadways up to Big Bear Monday morning, making the commute treacherous for drivers. The area received around 6 inches of snow overnight.

A total of around 4 to 7 inches were expected to accumulate in the mountains at the 6,000-foot level.

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A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Ventura and Los Angeles county mountains, excluding the Santa Monica Range, until 9 p.m. Monday.

A cold weather alert was also issued for the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County mountain areas Monday through Wednesday as temperatures were expected to fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Big Bear businesses were happy about the snow after a rather dry winter.

"Even yesterday, just driving by here, there was big brown patches and it was super dry, and now it's snow everywhere and it's gorgeous," said Amy Glassmoyer of San Diego.

Without this latest storm, Snow Summit might have only stayed open for only another couple of weeks as the snowpack was getting thin.

"We made plenty of snow over the Christmas period when it was so cold, but it's been high and dry since then, and so to get this, this is exactly what skiers and snowboarders in Southern California have been waiting for," said Chris Riddle of Big Bear Mountain Resorts.

The slopes are now expected to be busy, as some Southlanders may play hooky to enjoy the fresh powder.

"We've got a 12-24-inch base. We've got about 22 lifts available, so we've got a lot of terrain open for all levels," Riddle said.

Mountain High resort in Wrightwood also got several inches of fresh snow and is expected to open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The storm system also brought rain to Southern California and triggered flash flood warnings in burn areas. The warnings have since been lifted.

Watch Rob McMillan's report on Eyewitness News at 4 p.m. above.