A FLURRY OF ACTIVITY SNOW SHUTS SCHOOLS EARLY.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

PALMDALE - A strong winter storm brought snow and heavy rain to the Antelope Valley, causing Antelope Valley College, high school, Lake Hughes and Mojave school officials to close campuses and send students home early.

Enough snow fell in Quartz Hill, west Lancaster and west Palmdale to cover lawns and streets - and to make snowballs and snowmen.

``It's just so rare. We've been waiting for it to snow in Lancaster,'' said Connie Arriola, watching her sons, ages 11 and 13, throw snowballs with neighbor children in their west Lancaster front yards.

``At 9 o'clock they ran out here and they've been out here ever since,'' said neighbor Becky Medley, whose son and daughter were among the group playing in the snow.

Today's National Weather Service forecast calls for rain, plus snow in the foothills above 3,000 feet. Rain is likely through Tuesday, the Weather Service said.

Snow began falling heavily Friday morning in the San Gabriel and Tehachapi mountains, closing Interstate 5 again at Gorman and side roads west of Mojave. But the Antelope Valley snow was unexpected: forecasts had predicted snow above 5,000 feet, not at 2,400 feet in west Lancaster.

``When you don't expect it, it comes,'' said Medley, who has lived in the Antelope Valley 11 years.

Although the snow missed most of the valley, it was the heaviest in nearly four years: since February 2001, when 4 inches fell on Palmdale and the Antelope Valley Freeway was closed from Santa Clarita to Kern County.

Although the freeway didn't get snow, it did get crashes: two of them occurred within 20 minutes just before noon where low-hanging clouds hindered drivers' vision near the Pearblossom Highway exit.

Freeway traffic was heavy because of Interstate 5's closure - for the second time this week - by 5 inches of snow over the Grapevine. California Highway Patrol officials detoured motorists around the snow via Highway 58 and the 14 until Interstate 5 reopened at midafternoon.

In Mojave, where about 3 inches of snow was on the ground, Mojave Unified School District officials shut down schools before 10 a.m. Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes School closed at 9:30 a.m. and the Antelope Valley Union High School District closed its campuses at 11:30 a.m.

Antelope Valley College canceled its Saturday classes as well.

``The schools closed and created chaos as far as people picking up their kids, but otherwise up here it's been OK,'' said Deputy Chris Pitts of the Lancaster sheriff's station. Antelope Valley rainfall by midafternoon amounted to 0.32 of an inch in Quartz Hill, 0.52 in Lancaster, 0.72 in Acton, 0.28 in Lake Los Angeles and 0.40 of an inch in Palmdale.

The storm pushed the valley over its annual average rainfall of 7.73 inches, with the months that are typically the wettest still to come.

As of Thursday, Palmdale's rainfall since July 1 measured 7.40 inches - more than three times the normal. A year ago at this time, rainfall had amounted to just 1.36 inches.

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) In the back of a pickup, Wyatt Medley, 9, left, and James Arriola, 13, join, from left, Angelo Loskota, 4, Joe Arriola, 11, and Sarah Medley, 12, on the driveway of a house on Avenue J-4 in Lancaster in throwing snowballs Friday.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Cattle huddle together during a snowstorm at Lane Ranch in Quartz Hill, above, on Friday. At left, workers sandbag an area of damaged pavement at Avenue N and 50th Street West.

(4) Quartz Hill High School students chuck snowballs on the campus lawn after school shut down early Friday.

(5 -- 6) A Quartz Hill High School student, top, dashes through the snowstorm in the campus parking lot Friday. Above, 4-year-old Angelo Loskota tastes snow that fell in his Lancaster front yard.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

Box:

PALMDALE RAINFALL (see text)