LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled out of Los Angeles International Airport on Christmas Eve as a "bomb cyclone" weather pattern tore across the United States, bringing record-breaking cold temperatures nearly everywhere but California.
California will largely be spared from the freezing weather, which meteorologists called a "once-in-a-generation-type event" that will affect more than 100 million people in nearly every state. The Continental Divide mountain range will block much of the cold air from reaching the Golden State.
A high-pressure ridge in the Pacific will warm up the coast this holiday weekend, resulting in a warm and sunny Christmas in Los Angeles, said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to reach near record-breaking levels in the low 80s on Sunday.
The hottest Christmas recorded was in 1980 when the heat reached 85 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, but it is unlikely that that record will be broken this year.
Meanwhile, hundreds of outbound planes that are headed to colder parts of the country have been delayed, disrupting holiday travel for tens of thousands of people, officials said.
About 140 flights out of LAX were canceled and 729 were delayed Friday — nearly a half of the day's schedule — as parts of the country experienced freezing temperatures, airport officials said. Flights to Denver; Houston; San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and several other cities were canceled while planes headed to Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas were delayed.
On Saturday, about 68% of flights were operating on schedule, LAX spokesperson Heath Montgomery said. As of midnight, 102 inbound and outbound flights were canceled and about 467 planes were delayed. He said about 40 trips are expected to be canceled for the rest of the day.
Departures to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Portland International Airport were grounded because of icy conditions. Other airports like Dallas Fort Worth International are spraying planes with de-icing fluid to remove snow and ice.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Twitter Saturday that travel conditions have improved, but air traffic volume and winter weather in the northern half of the U.S. may still cause delays.
In Los Angeles, most of the coast and valleys will see high temperatures in the 70s to low 80s through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Inland locations like Antelope Valley will experience temperatures in the 60s.
Dry and warm conditions are expected through Monday before a weak atmospheric river hits the region on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing with it rain and cooler temperatures through the end of the week, Munroe said.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected throughout Southern California, with 1 to 3 inches forecasted in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Los Angeles and Ventura counties may see .5 to 1.5 inches of rainfall.
