<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">California & Arizona -</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">2.18.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/desert_freeze_feb_2013_BODY2.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Monday Feb 18th" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The coldest storm of the season is expected to roll through California and much of the Southwest during the middle of the week.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Growers are anticipating possible freezing conditions in the storm’s wake Thursday and Friday - minimum temperatures in the Yuma Valley may drop into the 20s and 30s.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">A California grower notes that the Yuma Valley, Texas Hill, Dome-Welton areas will see light to moderate ice, which is not going to be disastrous as a two day event, but does add to the challenges that the region's growing areas felt previously this season. Reports suggest that there will be widespread lettuce ice for Thursday and Friday with warming possible on Saturday.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The storm is expected to make travel difficult along the Grapevine, other passes and the high deserts. It’s expected to hit northern California tonight and southern California Tuesday. It will then shift towards Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado Tuesday night and Wednesday with temperatures plunging to very chilly levels.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">A cold front will cross the Central Coast Tuesday morning moving from Monterey Bay to Santa Barbara in the afternoon. Rain totals are expected to be .5 inch to .7 inch with the heaviest rains falling in the Santa Maria region.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to Western Weather Expert Ken Clark, "Snow will mix in as low as 2,000 feet in northern California and to 2,500 feet in southern California with several inches of snow as low as 3,000 feet."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Temperatures are expected to drop by 20 to 30 degrees from this weekend in many areas of the Southwestern U.S. according to Accuweather.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Through the week, the storm is expected to affect a large swath of the country causing conditions ranging from snow and ice to rain and severe thunderstorms.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to receive the latest storm updates. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.accuweather.com" target="_new">Winter Storm Update</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
