traffic

After Slow Going in the Snow and Ice, Two SoCal Mountain Passes Reopen

Ice and snow forced major road closures on the 14 and 5 freeways north of Los Angeles

NBCUniversal, Inc.

An icy 14 Freeway slowed to a crawl early Friday Dec. 27, 2019 near Palmdale.

What to Know

  • The 5 and 14 freeways are open after they were shut down due to snow and ice
  • Some drivers waited for more than a day for the Grapevine section of the 5 Freeway to reopen for holiday travel
  • Expect dry conditions into the weekend before another storm arrives by Monday

Hazardous driving conditions forced post-holiday closures on two major freeways north of Los Angeles, slowing the drive for travelers through ice- and snow-covered mountain passes.

Traffic slowed was at a crawl Friday morning on the 14 Freeway in the Palmdale areas due to several crashes, including a jack-knifed big rig. Parts of the 14 Freeway were closed due to hazardous travel conditions in the Palmdale and Lancaster areas.

Nora Kuntz
A view of snowy mountains as seen from Cabazon.
Michael Zingerman
A view of snow in Rose Valley after a December 2019 winter storm.
Alberto Zuniga
A little snow adds some winter magic to this holiday yard display in Palmdale.
NBCLA
A view of snowfall early Thursday Dec. 26, 2019 in the high desert.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A winter storm brings snow to the Acton area Thursday Dec. 26 ,2019.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A winter storm brings snow to the Acton area Thursday Dec. 26 ,2019.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A winter storm brings snow to the Acton area Thursday Dec. 26 ,2019.
Angelina Baray
A winter storm leaves behind a post-Christmas scene in Anza.
NBCLA
NewsChopper4 provides a view of snow-capped mountains as seen from the San Gabriel Valley Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
Armando Aparicio
Snow forced the closure of the 15 Freeway through the Cajon Pass Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
Caltrans
Caltrans
A view of traffic in the Cajon Pass Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
Filiberto Galvan
Armando Aparicio/NBCLA
The view from the Cajon Pass between the 15 and 138 freeways Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
NBCLA
Drivers face snowy conditions in the Cajon Pass Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
Alex Vasquez/NBCLA
A view of snowy mountains in the Cajon Pass Thursday Dec. 26, 2019.
JuMe You
Conditions were ideal for snowmen in Palmdale Thursday Dec. 29, 2019.
NBCLA
Traffic stops on an icy 14 Freeway north of LA Friday Dec. 27, 2019.
Barbara Hernandez
Snow-covered mountains and clouds in SoCal.
boun sayasy
A view Pioneertown looking toward Big Bear.

All closures on the 14 Freeway, connecting LA with the high desert, were lifted at about 10:30 a.m. Friday.

To the west, the Grapevine section of the 5 Freeway was closed for hours after a cold winter storm arrived in time for the Christmas travel stretch. The major route between Southern California and the Central Valley reopened at about 11 a.m.

Some drivers waited for more than a day for the 5 Freeway to reopen after it was closed for a holiday storm. Video broadcast on the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Friday Dec. 27, 2019.

Some drivers waited for more than a day for the freeway to open after it was closed due to ice and snow.

Dry conditions and warmer temperatures are in the weekend forecast. Another storm is expected to arrive Sunday and bring snow and rain through Monday.

The 14 Freeway connects Los Angeles and the high desert to its north.

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