Antelope Valley faces hard freeze overnight; rain forecast for L.A. this week

The Antelope Valley is facing a hard freeze warning for the early morning hours on Monday, with temperatures expected to plunge below freezing overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

The temperatures could damage outdoor plumbing and harm crops and unprotected pets or livestock in the Antelope Valley, including the areas of Palmdale, Lancaster and Lake Los Angeles, the weather service warned. It recommended that outdoor pipes be wrapped, drained or allowed to drip slowly and that in-ground sprinkler systems be drained and any above-ground pipes covered to protect them from freezing.

Lancaster had a low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit early Sunday morning, said David Gomberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The Antelope Valley is facing chillier temperatures than the rest of the region because it is more protected from wind at night, causing “radiational cooling,” Gomberg said. “Areas that are more wind sheltered get exceptionally cold.”

“Most other areas of Southern California see at least a little bit of wind, which modifies the temperature,” Gomberg explained, with temperatures in most valley areas in the 40s and the Los Angeles coast and basin in the low to mid 50s, “not too unusual for this time of year.”

Some areas, including the Santa Clarita Valley, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and the Malibu coast, were under a wind advisory Sunday, with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour expected. The National Weather Service warned that the high winds could make driving difficult and blow down tree limbs, potentially leading to power outages.

A 20% chance of rain — mostly intermittent showers — is forecast for the Los Angeles County region beginning Wednesday and continuing through Friday, according to the NWS. Temperatures will range from the low 40s to high 60s.