The Los Angeles blizzard warning was the first since 1989

Parts of normally mild southern California are under their first blizzard warning since 1989.

Forecasters are predicting record snowfall of up to 8ft (2.4m) in the mountains east of Los Angeles on Saturday.

A large storm has already brought massive blizzards and below-freezing temperatures to much of the northern US.

The cold snap comes as parts of the southeastern US are reeling from a record-breaking heat wave.

The freezing front extends across the entire US West Coast, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia.

A winter storm warning is in effect for coastal Ventura County and mountainous Los Angeles County from early Friday through Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Snowfall of up to 5ft is also possible in the mountains around the city of Santa Barbara.

The NWS said the heavy snow will be accompanied by strong winds and “near zero visibility”.

“I have to be totally honest with you guys,” a confused California meteorologist told viewers this week. “I’ve never seen a blizzard warning.”

“Several rounds” of snow are forecast to cover the southern Sierra Nevada mountains in the central and western parts of the state.

On Thursday, schools in the far northwest of the state closed due to severe weather.

“This is the first snow day we’ve had in the 31 years I’ve been with the district,” Jeff Napier, a Del Norte County Schools District official, told the Los Angeles Times.

Low-elevation parts of southern California could also experience snow, in addition to rain, as the storm moves south over the weekend, forecasters said.

Snow elevation can be as low as 1,500ft – as high as the famous Hollywood Hills sign.

Elsewhere in the US the cold blast forced schools, businesses and some state legislatures to close.

Portland, Oregon, had nearly 11in (28cm) of snow overnight through Thursday morning, the NWS reported, the second wettest day on record.

The storm led to the death in Michigan of a volunteer firefighter, who reportedly came into contact with a power line.

Oregon officials are also investigating a suspected hypothermia death they say may be storm-related.

Strong winds uprooted a large redwood tree, which fell on a home in the Bay Area of ​​California, leaving a one-year-old child in critical condition at the hospital.

In five states, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses — 750,000 in Michigan alone — were without power Thursday night.

More than 8,000 US flights were canceled or delayed Thursday, according to FlightAware data.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Washington DC hit 81F (27C) on Thursday, a February high not seen since 1874.

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