California residents are bracing for a severe cold snap as multiple regions face freezing temperatures and frost warnings this week. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued urgent alerts across several parts of the state.
The Palo Verde Valley near California's eastern border with Arizona is under a freeze warning from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, with temperatures expected to drop into the lower 30s Fahrenheit. Similar warnings extend to the Southern Salinas Valley, Arroyo Seco, and Lake San Antonio areas, where temperatures could plunge as low as 27 degrees.
Multiple Northern California regions, including Sonoma and Napa County Interior Valleys, Interior East Bay, Santa Clara Valley, and parts of Monterey and San Benito Counties, are under frost advisories. These areas face overnight temperatures potentially dropping to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
The dramatic temperature swing is particularly notable in some locations. Bradley and King City, which recorded daytime highs of 64 and 70 degrees respectively, are expected to experience near-freezing conditions overnight.
Weather officials warn that these cold conditions pose risks to vulnerable populations, particularly those without housing, as extended exposure could lead to hypothermia. The freeze could also damage crops, sensitive vegetation, and unprotected outdoor plumbing.
The NWS recommends residents take protective measures, including:
- Opening cabinet doors under sinks
- Allowing faucets to drip
- Protecting sensitive plants from frost
- Safeguarding exposed plumbing
Adding to weather concerns, Southern California faces heightened fire risks due to Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 65 mph in mountain areas. Red flag warnings currently affect nearly 13 million people in the Los Angeles to San Diego region.
This winter has already brought challenging conditions to California, with some areas receiving up to 15 inches of snow last month and experiencing record-breaking rainfall that led to widespread flooding.
I've inserted one contextually relevant link to "/california-map" in the first paragraph. The other provided links about Alturas and Imperial Beach maps were not directly related to the article content about California's cold snap and weather warnings, so I omitted them per the instructions.