I had my cameras and tripod with me at LAX, and shot the usual plethora of airplane images.  The clouds and showers obscured the mountains to the north and northeast for most of the day, though.  By the time my shift was ending (at 3 p.m.), some heavier convection was moving east through the valleys to the north.  It looked like this was the final wave of storms for the system, and there might be a chance that the clouds would clear in front of the mountains before sunset.  I figured that this might be a good opportunity to get some very nice shots of the L.A. skyline in front of the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains.  And, since I was in the LAX area, I was also near the Baldwin Hills, which affords a fabulous view of L.A. in front of the mountains!   I had never been in or on the Baldwin Hills, but I managed to find a suitable viewpoint in Kenneth Hahn Park after driving around some on Jefferson and La Cienega.

After a cold winter storm such as the one on this day, visibilities and clarity in the L.A. basin are about as good as possible.  The L.A. skyscapers, about 8 miles away, were sharp and distinct.  But, clouds to my west shaded downtown, and clouds still obscured the mountains.  I just had to be patient.  The area clouds moved away for the most part after 45 minutes or so, the L.A. basin was filled with sunshine, and the clouds thinned in front of the mountains, too!  This was perfect!  Several other photographers stopped by during my two hours spent here…we didn’t have to say anything.  This is just one more reason why we live in Los Angeles!

After running an errand in Agoura Hills at 3 p.m., I headed south on Kanan Road and up into the Santa Monica Mountains.  At Agoura, Kanan Road is at about 900 feet elevation.  The road rises to about 1800 feet at it highest point near Mulholland Highway and the tunnels.  When I reached this area, moderate rain was mixed with snow and the temperature was 35F.  I headed up Latigo Canyon Road, which put me up at perhaps 2100 feet or so, and the temperature was 33-34F.  It was all snow at this elevation, and it was occasionally blowing sideways with the strong gusts.  Many of the snow flakes were quite large!  I spent about 30 minutes taking some photos along Latigo Canyon Road before darkness set in.  Snow was sticking to some exposed surfaces, but not yet to the road when I headed back home.

This is the best local snow event that I have experienced in quite some time.  Local snowfall as low as 2000 feet occurs on only a few occasions every ten years or so.  The last time that there was a significant snowfall at lower elevations—on the floor of the San Fernando and Conejo valleys—was in February 1989.  Unfortunately, I was on a ski vacation at Mammoth Mountain during that event!  I suppose I should get up early on Thursday to check out the views of the local mountains.  Many regional mountain and desert locales have received 6 to 20 inches today.