LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Officials closed a portion of the 5 Freeway running through Castaic in L.A. County and Grapevine in Kern County Thursday morning, citing dangerous snow and ice conditions.
The closure came amid another major winter storm barreling down on California, which has dumped several inches of snow on high-elevation communities. The U.S. National Weather Service has forecasted between six inches and three feet of snow for areas above 5,000 feet.
Snow pile-up brought traffic to a halt in parts of Kern and L.A. counties, leaving trucks backed up and triggering a closure. The northbound side 5 Freeway was closed at Parker Road in Castaic, and the southbound side was closed at Grapevine Road in Grapevine.
An alternate route through Tehachapi via State Route 58 remained open, according to the California Highway Patrol.
State Route 23 has also ben closed on the south end at State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway), with officials citing danger of mud and rock slides. Caltrans crews were on scene at the north end of State Route 23 in Westlake.
Two westbound lanes in the 27400 block of the PCH were also closed due to a downed tree. One PCH westbound lane at Puerco Canyon Road was closed due to a mudslide.
In Orange County, a mandatory evacuation order was issued for Silverado, Williams, and Modjeska canyons — all concentrated in the Bond Fire burn scar area, due to the possibility of mudslides and debris flows.
Wintry weather is expected to continue through noon on Thursday, with storm warnings issued for San Bernardino and Riverside counties lasting until Thursday night.
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