As a winter storm tightens its icy hold on southern California this weekend, snowflakes have begun to fall in Los Angeles, including around the city's famous Hollywood sign.
On Friday morning, San Francisco's low temperature of 39F (4C) broke a record that had stood for 132 years. .
Tens of millions of residents in the Golden state are under blizzard, wind and flood warnings.
From coast to coast, the storms have rendered nearly a million properties completely dark.
The West Coast's north-south motorway, Interstate 5, was partially closed south of the Oregon border. .
Los Angeles is experiencing its first blizzard warning in more than three decades. The city is known for its palm trees and sun-kissed boulevards.
City dwellers gathered on Friday to take in the unusual sight of snow flurries circling the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee. .
However, in other parts of the city, flooding trapped cars in North Hollywood, and authorities issued a warning about widespread flooding in many Los Angeles County neighborhoods.
Significant mountain snows are expected Friday night into early Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned, with significant effects on travel and infrastructure. .
Power lines and fallen trees could occur. Over areas where snow is unusual, significant snowfall at lower elevations may occur. ".
The NWS warned swimmers on the state's world-famous beaches to beware of "strong rip currents and high surf".
Snowfall in mountain communities is typically between 2 feet and 7 feet (60 cm and 2 point 1 meters). Avalanche warnings have been posted in some areas.
According to the LA Times, some weather forecasters in the Los Angeles area experienced thunder snow. .
Intense winter storms occasionally come along with the unusual phenomenon that combines lightning and blizzards. .
The Mojave Desert, the Santa Clarita Valley, and the Inland Empire will also experience a rare snowfall in California. .
In Oregon's Portland, which experienced one of its snowiest days on record, the storm earlier in the week dumped snow farther north along the West Coast.
.
