Alissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023
In a week where Southern California might see a snow line as low as 1,000 feet, here’s a 1949 photograph of snow on LA’s Cahuenga Pass (elevation 745 feet)
Show threadAlissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023

After the three-day snowstorm, the LA Times published this aerial shot of the Cahuenga Pass on January 12, 1949.

The reporter who flew in the plane also described the scene, noting the "palm trees look sad"

Show threadAlissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023

Over on the Sepulveda Pass (elevation 1,130 feet), drivers were required to wait until the snow melted or put on chains to get over the hill.

Imagine having to put on chains to go over the Sepulveda Pass!

Show threadAlissa Walker

The closed canyons and passes made the biggest headlines, but so did the record-breaking temperatures, an "almost unprecedented cold wave which has brought snow for three straight days."

During this storm DTLA reached a low of 28 degrees

Feb 23, 2023 at 4:37pmWeb
Show threadAlissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023

The 1949 storm was so cold it nearly set a "low maximum" record when the January 11 high only reached 46 degrees. But the record "low maximum" was set on January 15, 1922, and stands to this day: 43!

Something to keep an eye on as we may not even hit 50 over the next few days

Show threadAlissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023
A few more 1949 photos from the LA Times that I hadn't seen before, including Elysian Park (probably around 600 or 700 feet elevation in this shot) looking absolutely magical and smudge pots being used to keep citrus groves from freezing in the Valley
Show threadAlissa WalkerFeb 23, 2023

Interestingly the 1949 snowstorm happened during a major polio outbreak and was described by the LA Times as occurring in the "middle of the worst housing shortage in Los Angeles history."

Please take care of each other this week 🙏🏻