Parts of usually balmy southern California are under their first blizzard warning since 1989. The winter storm that started rolling into the Golden State on Thursday will start to intensify on Friday. A massive storm has already brought major blizzards and temperatures below freezing to much of the northern US. The cold snap comes as parts of the US southeast basked in a record-breaking heat wave. Forecasters are predicting record snowfall of up to 8ft (2.4m) in mountains to the east of Los Angeles by Saturday. The mountains are expected to experience powerful winds of 60-75mph (96-120 km/h) while coastal areas may experience flooding. The icy weather front stretches along the entire US West Coast, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. The winter storm warning is in effect for the coastal Ventura County mountains and Los Angeles County mountains from early Friday until Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. (BBC)…[+]