A late-February storm left behind an unusual sight Saturday in the Santa Clarita area.
Hills in the area north of Los Angeles were blanketed in snow after the cold storm dropped wintry precipitation at low elevations for hours overnight throughout Southern California.
A 20-mile stretch of the 14 Freeway was closed between Sand Canyon Road and Avenue S. It was not immediately clear when it will reopen.
"DO NOT ATTEMPT using canyon roads as alternates and limit travel," Caltrans tweeted Saturday morning.
Los Angeles County's mountains have been under a rare blizzard warning -- the first for the area in decades -- since Friday morning. The warning is schedule to expire Saturday evening.
Areas under the blizzard warning include, Mount Wilson, the Grapevine section of the 5 Freeway, Acton, Mount Pinos and Frazier Park. Travel is highly discouraged in Southern California's mountains.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
U.S. & World
Two to 5 feet of snow are expected above 5,000 feet by Saturday as the storm continues to hammer the region. Some areas could get as much as 7 feet.
Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are possible by Saturday night at elevations as low as 2,000 feet.
As of early Saturday, Bear Mountain Snow Summit received 45 inches of snow during the storm. Snow Valley received 32 to 36 inches, 26 inches were reported at Running Springs, and Lake Arrowhead received 23 inches.
SoCal Weather Photos: Scenes From the Late-February Winter Storm
A section of the 5 Freeway was closed north of Los Angeles due to snow and poor visibility.
The storm fueled by an atmospheric river over the Pacific unleashed a torrent of precipitation once it reached Southern California. The rivers of moisture in the sky have contributed to some of the wettest winters and most destructive storms in state history.
Temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s in most of the area, although they will drop into the 30s in the mountains and some valley areas, particularly at night, and into the 20s in the Antelope Valley. High winds will make it feel even colder.
