CALIFORNIA - If you’re a resident of California, you may have seen signs of a rare winter wonderland falling on the state following a recent storm. Weather reports show that an intense storm system recently passed through the Southern California area, leaving piles of snow in lower-elevation communities and bringing icy conditions to typically dry, warm regions.
“Though the weather has been unique with low snow levels, all is good in terms of Freska product,” Gary Clevenger, Managing Member of Freska Produce International, said in a statement to AndNowUKnow. “We saw some hail but have no concerns of lasting impacts currently.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that frigid conditions dropped the snow level to 1,500 or less on Saturday, with Interstate 5 through the Grapevine closed due to snow. The system also dropped heavy snow on California’s mountain areas, especially at elevations above 4,500 feet.
“The roads and transportation systems throughout California have seen a slowdown during the storms—but the more significant looming issue is that we are anticipating gaps in harvest created by not being able to plant fields now and for several weeks. I expect we are going to have some veg shortages in coming months, so as we look to supplemental markets like Mexico, Allen Lund Company is ready as a logistics partner to help fill those gaps from elsewhere,” Kenny Lund, Executive Vice President of Allen Lund Company and ALC Logistics, shared. “Such spikes in tight markets and high prices followed by a glut of product will likely stress the logistics sector, but we’ve shown how we successfully handle that during recent years.”
That anticipated gap to glut, Kenny said, stems from the boost in hydration to the West Coast.
“The good side is the allocation of water to farmers has bumped up, so when they can get product in the ground they’ll have the water to supply it and we will likely see plenty of product to move,” Kenny explained.
Reports showed the brunt of the storm passing the Los Angeles area by Saturday morning, with lighter showers forecasted heading into Sunday.
As stated by the National Weather Service, the cold, unsettled conditions across the state are expected to continue, with more rain possible through Wednesday due to weak storm activity. The source noted that total rainfall was predicted to be between a half inch to one inch, with snow levels falling to 3,500–4,500 feet.
ANUK will continue to report as more weather reports come to light.
