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Left, Pasadena City Hall in the snow, 1949. [Photo by William Hart / Pasadena Museum of History Main Photo Collection, C14-B9]. At right, Fair Oaks Avenue just south of Green Street, January 1949 [Pasadena Museum of History Main Photo Collection, E-1-36]
The recent days in the upper 50s and nights in the upper 30s may seem uncharacteristically chilly for Pasadena, but they are nothing like the second week of 1949.
On January 11, Pasadena, a city known for its sunshine and flowers, experienced a weather event that still holds a record among the heaviest snowfalls in Southern California history, Jeanette Bovard recounts in a Pasadena Museum of History article.
The City of Roses became a city of snow.
New Year’s Day 1949 had been less picturesque than usual; the Los Angeles Times described the gloomy, overcast skies over the parade route as “murky.”
“A scant 10 days later, the Pasadena Independent ran a photo of the iconic football field covered in white. Rechristening our landmark the “Froze Bowl,” the newspaper stated, ‘The East scored another victory in the Rose Bowl yesterday – a victory over the legend that Southern California could never be covered by snow’,” Bovard wrote.
The 1949 snowstorm, however, was unprecedented in its intensity and impact. It lasted for three consecutive nights, leaving up to a foot of snow on the ground in some areas, according to Bovard.
Traffic along the Arroyo Seco Parkway and Cahuenga Pass was slow and treacherous due to the slush and ice. In Compton, police were able to apprehend a robber by following his footprints in the snow. In Altadena, a County road grader was used as a snowplow on Lake Avenue to clear the foot of snow that had accumulated.
This week’s weather looks great compared to 1949’s.
Dry and cool conditions are on tap today and for most of Saturday, the National Weather Service said Friday.
A weak system may generate some light showers late Saturday night into Sunday, otherwise cool weather will continue into the weekend with a very slow warming trend into next week.
Sunny and mostly clear days all next week will rule over warming days — Thursday could top out at 72.
Here is the National Weather Service forecast for the week:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Calm wind.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.
M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 72.
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