California faces mass power outages, closure of roadways as well as flooding as a rare winter storm sweeps the state

A rare winter storm slammed through California, causing widespread power outages, the closure of beaches and highways, and flooding.

More than 120,000 people are without electricity in parts of Los Angeles after days of bitterly cold winds and icy temperatures. Interstate 5, the main north-south highway on the West Coast, is still closed as a result of the Grapevine’s rugged, heavily snow-covered portion.

The winter storm, which is among the strongest to hit the state, is forecast to decrease. Power lines have also been downed and trees have been toppled by the strong winds.

According to the officials, all of the beaches were closed on Saturday for a number of hours due to lightning strikes throughout LA County. Reports also surfaced of flights being grounded in the region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the latest bulletin around 20:00 GMT on Saturday (12:00 local time) in which it issued a warning of thunderstorms and heavy rains over Southern California.