Freeze warnings issued in San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Riverside and San Bernardino valleys

LOS ANGELES — Southern California residents were getting a taste of winter Monday thanks to the remnants of a storm system causing below-normal temperatures for much of the area.

Temperatures were expected to be so cold in the overnight hours Tuesday morning that the National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for the Santa Clarita Valley, Calabasas and the western San Fernando Valley. The warning will be in place from 1 to 10 a.m. Tuesday.

A freeze warning was also issued for the San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys and the Inland Empire south of Hemet to Lake Elsinore. That warning will be in place from 1 to 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation,” according to the NWS. “Extended exposure to cold can cause hypothermia for animals and people. Vehicle windshields will be frosted.”

Forecasters said temperatures in the warning areas could fall to as low as 31 degrees in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys and 32 degrees in the Riverside and San Bernardino county valleys. Residents were urged to protect sensitive plants and give themselves extra time in the morning to defrost vehicle windshields.

“With clear skies, light winds, and a very dry and cold air mass in place, tonight (Monday night-Tuesday morning) may be the coldest night of the season so far in many locations,” according to the NWS.

Overnight lows include 40 in Torrance and Long Beach, 44 in San Pedro, 34 in Van Nuys, 36 in Chatsworth, 39 in Pasadena and West Covina, 41 in Whittier, 39 in Santa Ana, Irvine and Huntington Beach, 38 in Claremont and Ontario, 36 in Pomona, 16 in Big Bear, 33 in San Bernardino, 39 in Rancho Cucamonga, 35 in Redlands and Riverside, 38 in Palm Desert, 35 in Lake Elsinore, and 32 in Murrieta.

Some minor relief from the cold temperatures was expected Tuesday, with “a couple of degrees of warming” possible, particularly in interior areas. More clouds and gusty winds are possible in the Antelope Valley by Wednesday.

Southern California News Group staff writer Steven Rosenberg contributed to this report.