Frost in Southern California in April???

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Our neighborhood here in Riverside got a nice dose of frost this Morning. Roofs are covered with white. It's April, what the heck? I looked up Central California and even up there there was no frost. That's rather late in the year to see the white stuff.

[palm tree man]

That is pretty unusual for you guys what in the world is going on? In the east it is not totally uncommon to have an "Easter frost or even a late freeze at times" but in sunny California I didn't think that occurred very frequently. Our mountains are not tall enough to protect us from a late artic front. Did a cold front move down and settle in the valley?

[_Keith]

We got nailed with that last year right at the end of March. We actually had a frost and a light (31) freeze. Messed up the entire spring blooming season.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

A late Gulf of Alaska storm brought low snow levels and significant atmospheric instability. The core of it passed over Southern California yesterday and it cleared up in the evening. With high pressure filling in behind it, the inversion layer kicked in.

It's only in the inland empire of Southern California, 36-39F lows there. Along the coast, looks like 50F and above. That's the difference between inland and coastal California.

[DoomsDave]

Whoa, that is a late freeze. I lived in the Inland Empire years ago, and don't ever recall it getting that cold that late in the year, except way up in Big Bear.