SCI/TECH: Freak Snow Storm Hits Southern California, Including Desert Regions., page 1

Southwest Riverside county was blanketed with up to two feet of snow by a rare snow storm. The unusual storm stranded several motorists and made some highways impassable. Interstate 15 had to be closed through the Cajon Pass for five hours in the morning, but no major weather related accidents or injuries were reported.

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"This happens about once every 10 years, and when it does, it's bad," said Ivory Small, chief science officer for the National Weather Service in San Diego. "You get about every type of weather ... These systems are tricky to predict."

Temperatures plunged across the region and the weather service warned farmers that frost was likely overnight. As much as two feet of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains.

"The mountains got clobbered," NWS meteorologist Steven Vanderberg said. "It packed a pretty good punch. This system just brought in a lot of cold air with it."

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This is called an "inside slider" and it seems to happen once every 10 years. This doesn't seem to be unusual, except that it only happens once every 10 years. The system also brought pea-sized hail in parts of Orange county.

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www.srh.noaa.gov