Thick hail in Simi Valley leads to snowball fights, winter fun

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- This week's storm brought a winter wonderland to some parts of Southern California that simply aren't used to fresh powder on the ground.

Hail pelted many parts of the Southland Thursday. In Simi Valley it accumulated enough to cover the ground with a white layer that local kids used to build snowmen and hold snowball fights.

Temperatures in Simi Valley usually hover in the 50s and 60s this time of year and the city almost never gets snow.

Hail accumulated in Simi Valley enough that local kids built snowmen and held snowball fights.

RELATED: Winter 2019 brings rare snowfall to cities across SoCal

Southern California cities that almost never see snow got a rare sight as a wet storm covered even low-lying communities.

The winter weather is expected to continue overnight Thursday into Friday morning

A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Inland Empire until 10 a.m. Friday. A winter storm warning is in effect for mountain areas in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties until 10 p.m. Thursday.

A flash flood watch is in effect for Orange County until 4 a.m. Friday.

Full forecast and detailed weather information available here.