SOCAL TURNS INTO SNOW CAL MANY COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHLAND HIT WITH CHILLY SURPRISE THAT SPELLS FUN FOR KIDS BUT CAUSES PROBLEMS FOR MOTORISTS.

Byline: RICK COCA Staff Writer

Snow in Malibu. Hail in West L.A. and Tarzana. Ice, sleet and snow from Santa Clarita to Lancaster.

The relentless cold front powered into its sixth day Wednesday with a fast-moving, freezing storm that dumped a thin layer of the white stuff over a number of Southland communities -- some that haven't seen it for decades.

Mother Nature's surprise offering was a gift for children, but a chilly headache for truckers and motorists trying to make their way over the Grapevine and other icy mountain passes.

As soon as she heard there was snow off of Kanan Road in Malibu, Wendy Stanley, 38, of Moorpark, loaded up the car in the afternoon and brought her two kids and a nephew out to enjoy it.

``We ran home, got our cameras and blankets and now I have kids with frozen feet,'' said Stanley, who hadn't seen snow locally for more than 30 years. She said there was just enough snow for the kids to make ``snow mud angels.''

``We played with dirt snowballs,'' said Stanley's nephew, Connor Womack, 6. ``We slid down snow hills. That's how I got all muddy.''

Although not entirely unexpected, the thunderstorm packed more punch than forecasters anticipated as a low-pressure system coupled with the cold air above it quickly built momentum, resulting in snow flurries at elevations as low as 1,000 feet, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gale Harris.

``The worst part about it is there's been freezing rain and sleet, and that makes it real tough for traveling,'' said Harris.

Weather officials were bombarded with calls from West L.A. and beachside residents who mistook the graupel -- broken bits of hail -- that blanketed their neighborhoods for snow.

Santa Clarita got a real dusting, with a number of car accidents to prove it. No serious injuries were reported from the dozens of spin-outs and collisions reported on the I-5 as well as the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Santa Clarita's last real snowfall was in February 1989, though a few isolated flurries have hit over the years.

Since Friday, Southern California has been plagued by freezing overnight temperatures, causing a threefold increase in damaged water mains and connections. The cold has also cost the state's farmers an estimated $1 billion, including millions of dollars in losses to citrus and other crops in Ventura Country.

The snowy and icy conditions Wednesday prompted the California Highway Patrol to close I-5 over the Grapevine in both directions as Caltrans crews and officers dug vehicles -- including at least five big rigs -- out of the drifts that began covering lanes around 8:30 a.m.

``The storm front hit pretty quick,'' CHP Officer John Lutz said. ``We knew it was coming in but didn't know how hard it was going to hit. We had hundreds of vehicles in the snow.''

Today, a milder version of the record-breaking windy cold snap -- that has brought mostly dry and frigid weather to Southern California since Friday -- will set in, with slightly higher temperatures.

Today's highs are expected to be in the upper 50s to mid 60s throughout the region, under partly cloudy skies in the morning, clearing up in the afternoon, with winds from the north to northeast at 20 to 30 mph below passes and canyons, with gusts up to 40 mph.

Tonight's lows are expected to be in the upper 30s and 40s, under mostly clear skies.

``It's fun to see Los Angeles people put on all those coats, all those scarves and all those hats,'' said Frances Welter, of Woodland Hills. ``It's kind of a New York thing. Then there are others in T-shirts and flip-flops. They're on another planet. They're in that L.A. wavelength.''

Clay Macbeth, who was working outdoors Wednesday evening delivering gas to a local station, said he tolerates the cold weather because he knows warmer days are always around the corner.

``If I wanted this kind of weather, I'd live somewhere else,'' said Macbeth, his breath visible in the chilly air.

Windy conditions, with slightly warmer temperatures, are expected through the weekend, with a warmer storm system possibly developing next Wednesday.

Over the past week, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews have gone to 16-hour days to combat a sharp increase in broken water mains and leaks, an effort made more difficult by Wednesday's storm. Crews repaired a broken water main in Van Nuys Wednesday morning, leaving 30 residents without water for six hours.

``The cause was extremely cold water running through the mains,'' said DWP spokeswoman Gail Harris. ``That water's coming in pretty cold from the north and that caused the pipes to burst.''

rick.coca(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in Valley and SAC editions only) AGOURA HILLS: Jorge Salgado makes his way up the snow-covered driveway to his home on Lobo Canyon Road on Wednesday. A fast-moving cold storm brought a layer of snow to the area.

(2 -- color) AGOURA HILLS: Toddler Madison Bland inspects strange stuff -- snow -- while playing along Lobo Canyon Road.

(3) Morgan Zuccaro takes the rare opportunity to make a snow angel along Lobo Canyon Road in Agoura on Wednesday.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) CASTAIC: The Violet family has a ball with the snowfall outside their home at the Paradise Ranch mobile home park.

(5 -- color) GRAPEVINE: Traffic is stopped at Templin Highway just north of Castaic. Interstate 5 was closed because of snow and ice.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(6 -- color) SANTA CLARITA: Frances Tovar carries her 2-year-old daughter Andrea up a slippery sidewalk near their home on Valley Oak Court.

Tom Gapen/Staff Photographer

(7 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) NEENACH: Snow covers the road Wednesday on Highway138, six miles off Interstate5, a route many motorists took to avoid Interstate 5's closure at Castaic. This route took drivers to Highway 14.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer