The Canadian cold front, in tandem with a winter storm, could snarl mountain passes with snow and ice and tie up traffic from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Las Vegas, weather forecasters said.
It could also bring bluster to the Oscar red carpet Sunday, with wool the smart choice over chiffon.
"Vera Wang is out. L.L. Bean is in."
The extreme cold system, originating north of the U.S. border and trailing a winter storm, was expected to head down the Pacific Coast, dumping the first snow on San Francisco Bay in 35 years.
The initial blast to the Southland on Friday will hit San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, with three to five hours of heavy rain, forecasters said.
Then, as the cold front catches up, snow levels in those counties is expected to drop to 500 feet, with 1 to 2 feet expected in the mountains above 5,000 feet.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning across much of the region.
"We have a very cold storm coming in that originated in Canada," said Dessa Emch, manager of weather observation at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "It'll bring some of the lowest snow levels we've seen.
"Snow and ice will definitely affect the major mountain passes around Los Angeles County."
In Los Angeles, showers were expected to bring up to an inch of rain, or up to six inches of snow down to 1,000 feet across the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, Santa Monica Mountains and lower foothills around the San Fernando Valley.
The freezing storm, accompanied by downpours, hail, gusty winds up to 50 mph, and waterspouts off the coast, is expected to peter out by Sunday.
Temperatures in the San Fernando Valley are expected to drop to freezing Saturday night.
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