FRASER PARK, Calif. (KERO) — A historic storm is making its way through Kern County. Starting Tuesday night with high winds and plummeting temperatures, this system is expected to get progressively worse through Friday.
"I've been at this office for 10 years now, and I haven't seen anything like that, and the officers that I'm working with right now, we haven't seen a blizzard warning like this," said California Highway Patrol Fort Tejon Public Information Officer DC Williams.
Winter weather conditions have already brought rainfall and snow to our area, and will leave lasting impacts through the weekend, including the first ever blizzard warning issued for Kern County by the National Weather Service.
The blizzard warning, which covers Kern's southern mountains, is in effect until 8:00 Friday night.
"This is not something that happens frequently," said 23ABC's Chief Meteorologist Brandon Michaels. "Blizzard conditions are a very specific thing. Strong winds with heavy snow to make nearly zero visibility is not something we get here a lot, so this is truly a historic event, and a very severe storm for us."
Experts say that if snow starts falling at low enough elevations, our southern mountains could see near whiteout conditions.
On the other hand, if the snow forms only at high elevations, the Central Valley can expect excessive rainfall and the possibility of flooding.
"It's really going to start up tonight with some snow in the mountains. By tomorrow, we're going to see some rain moving into Kern, maybe even at mountain pass level, and then Friday night some very heavy snow moving in," said Michaels. "It's really going to have some very severe impacts, especially to travel through our mountain community."
Officer Williams says these historic conditions could make travel dangerous, recommending that those who need to travel check their windshield wipers and tire treads before leaving home, as well as packing extra water, snacks, and blankets for the trip in case of an emergency.
According to Williams, one thing drivers should not try to do is find alternative routes during bad weather. The California mountains are notorious for mudslides and other unstable surprises. Bad weather can make alternate routes even more dangerous than the major highways because less traveled roads hold onto ice longer, and this can make them more treacherous.
"What makes it so dangerous is the ice on the roadway surface," explained Williams. "With the different tires that people have on their cars, some vehicles aren't able to get traction, so they start to slip. They start to slide, and what we'll do before we close the Grapevine is we'll do escorts up and over. If we can keep the roadway warm, that hopefully keeps ice form forming on the roadway surface."
According to the National Highway Travel Safety Administration, another set of winter driving hazards that many people don't even consider is how just being in cold or wet weather can affect your car and its performance. From the cold reducing the air pressure in your tires to your seatbelt fitting differently over your winter coat, be aware of these changes and slow down to avoid surprises.
With rain and snow already coming down throughout the county, Williams says the roads could get especially dangerous, meaning closures over the mountains.
"We'll see what the storm brings. You're definitely going to probably see some wet and icy roads, roadway surfaces, so definitely slow down, definitely increase your following distance," advised Williams. "I know the big question is if we're going to close the Grapevine down or not, and that depends on the storm. It depends on how bad the road surface ices over. If it becomes unsafe, we'll have to unfortunately close the Grapevine down for safety."
To keep up with these historic storms, 23ABC has a variety of weather tracking tools here.
