SoCal mountains get unusual surprise due to spring storm: Snow in May
Snow in Big Bear in May is a rare occurrence. In fact, it's only happened 40 times since 1960 and only seven times since 2000.
BIG BEAR LAKE (KABC) -- Snow in May? It happens, but certainly not that often.
It's a little unusual for the Southern California mountains to see snow this late in the year after winter but then again, it's been that kind of year: full of surprises.
In Big Bear Lake, it's a big difference from what we saw last week.
"I would say it was around 70, last week it was around 70, and it felt hot," said Big Bear Lake visitor Dmitry Kotov.
It's certainly beautiful, but not on the roads. Chains were required to get into the mountains Thursday morning but for some, it was too late.
Several drivers were unable handle the slippery conditions.
In the Big Bear Village, many of the locals are ready for spring.
"It's just sloppy and wet, we're ready for spring, my tulips are mad," said Tamara Picciolo, who works for The Village Sweet Shoppe.
Eric Schwartz with Get The Burger restaurant said the snow is coming at a bad time.
"This is kind of a hindrance for us because we just put our plows away, and put the last broken snow shovel away," he said.
Snow in Big Bear in May is a rare occurrence. In fact, it's only happened 40 times since 1960 and only seven times since 2000.
But it's the mountains and people who live there know the drill.
"We generally don't plant anything until after Mother's Day just to be safe, as you can tell outside right now," said Charlene Vasquez.
Most of the storm moved through Southern California overnight. But the weather service issued a late-morning warning for winds up to 50 mph and hail as a thunderstorm moved through Los Angeles County.
The weather service confirmed that a "brief EF0 tornado" touched down Thursday morning near suburban Carson. An EFO tornado is the lowest level on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, typically with winds between 65 mph and 85 mph.
"Based on broadcast media video, there was minor damage to buildings, vehicle damage from debris, and tree damage," the weather service's Los Angeles office said on Twitter.
The damage, however, did not appear as extensive as the destruction left by a tornado that occurred in LA County last March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
