Los Angeles used to get snow about once every few years, but 1949 was one of the last years, with up to a foot of snow falling. A few more minor snowfalls were recorded in 1957 and 1962, but no snow has fallen since, and each year, the probability of snow falling in the city lessens.
On the 50th anniversary of the 1949 snowfall, Cecilia Rasmussen wrote in the Los Angeles Times:
On Jan. 10, 1949, in the middle of the worst housing shortage in Los Angeles history, more than half an inch of snow covered the Civic Center. The San Fernando Valley was pelted with the unfamiliar white stuff for three days, accumulating almost a foot. The Rose Bowl was transformed into “a dishpan full of milk,” by one account. An Alhambra hardware store put up a sign that said, “Snow Plows for Rent — Hurry!” A snowman appeared in Eagle Rock, wearing a sombrero, and the city of Reno, Nev., sent L.A. a snow shovel.
Even though we won’t be waiting around for a blizzard to hit the forecast, we can appreciate these images that show what a snow-covered city looked like in 1949:
