LOS ANGELES - California faces an onslaught of very cold weather over the Thanksgiving holiday that may have contributed to the death of a 2-year-old boy in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Placer County officials told KCRA-TV that Zachary Mather and his stepmother were walking Wednesday along a canal in the city of Colfax when the woman slipped on a patch of ice and the two fell into the water.
The stepmother got out of the Bear River canal and yelled for help. Rescue crews found the toddler downstream and tried to revive the toddler, but could not.
The National Weather Service said temperatures in many areas including the Central Valley, Central Coast and high desert will fall below freezing Wednesday and Thursday nights, with durations as long as 11 hours.
That could pose a danger to citrus crops in particular.
The weather service issued a freeze warning late Wednesday for the high desert and inland areas of Southern California, where temperatures were expected to dip to the 20s and 30s.
Along with the cold and dry airmass over the region, strengthening surface high pressure over the Great Basin will produce gusty north winds, bringing a moderate Santa Ana wind event in Southern California as the winds shift to the northeast.
Los Angeles County health officials reminded residents Wednesday that shelters were available for people trying to escape the chill.
"Because children and the elderly are especially vulnerable during such cold snaps, care should be taken to ensure they don't get too cold when they are outside," county health officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding said.
Fielding warned against using stoves, barbeques or ovens to heat homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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