Dec. 22--A rainstorm that temporarily shut down a portion of the 405 Freeway on Tuesday morning could force the closure of the Tejon Pass through the Grapevine on Christmas Eve, the National Weather Service said.
Though the storm was only dropping hundredths of an inch of rain an hour across Southern California on Tuesday morning, it's part of a frosty weather system that's poised to drop snow at low elevations on Thursday and into Friday, said meteorologist Dave Bruno.
"Even just an inch of that will wreak havoc on the Grapevine," he said.
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The storm, which originated in British Columbia, is swooping through the region and bringing with it light rain and extremely cold air, Bruno said.
Forecasters had expected heavier rains but in recent days the storm lost strength, Bruno said. Instead, he said, it is expected to hit Los Angeles County with just a "glancing blow," but that's enough to dust the mountains with snow at elevations as low as 4,000 feet, which could be a headache for commuters and holiday travelers.
According to the Automobile Club of Southern California, 7.6 million Southern Californians are expected to travel more than 50 miles between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3. Of those, about 6.8 million are expected to drive, AAA said.
The storm was already creating issues Tuesday.
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About 3:15 a.m., the southbound 405 Freeway was flooded in South L.A., forcing crews to close all southbound lanes transitioning to both directions of the 105 Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said. The freeway was reopened about 5:45 a.m.
About 5 a.m., one person was killed in a car crash on the southbound 110 Freeway at El Segundo Boulevard, the CHP said. The incident forced authorities to close all lanes of the roadway except the express lanes.
Forecasters said that though the rain was expected to subside by the afternoon, colder weather and wind, with snow at lower elevations, should last through the end of the week.
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