“I have lived in California for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Krenis said.

In Southern California, the storm began moving Thursday with widespread rain and some snow flurries. There was even a dusting of snow or graupel — a sort of soft hail — Thursday morning in the hills near the Hollywood sign, although it quickly vanished.Flood watches and warnings were in effect through Saturday afternoon for some coastal regions and valleys, and the potential for heavy rainfall causing flooding and debris flow in some areas burned by wildfires in recent years.

Evacuation warnings also were issued in Ventura County for four areas that were considered unstable after being hit hard by storms last month.

Blizzard warnings are in place for parts of Southern California for the first time since 1989. 

A coast-to-coast storm that paralysed roads and blacked out nearly one million homes and businesses was set to pound the Golden State on Friday, sparking warnings about floods and blizzards.

The National Weather Service warned of a "cold and dangerous winter storm" through Saturday. As much as five feet of snow could fall in some mountains near Los Angeles, which could create whiteout conditions as winds gust to 75 mph and an increased risk of avalanches, forecasters said.

The weather service issued rare blizzard warnings for Southern California mountain areas and urged drivers to avoid dangerous roads.

Karen Krenis was driving to a pottery studio in Santa Cruz in the San Francisco Bay area on Thursday when she stopped in her tracks after seeing snow on the beach. She got out of her car and went to take photos. By the time she left, about 50 other people were there. Adults were snapping photos, and children were making snowballs.