Coldest storm in years to hit U.S. Southern California

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Southern California is bracing for the coldest storm of the winter this week, likely the coldest storm in many years.

The storm will arrive mid-week and bring the chance of rain and snow to the region, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).

Monday marks the last day of mild temperatures before a deep trough dives southward along the west coast and alters the weather course dramatically for the remainder of the week, said the NWS.

It will turn windy and much cooler Tuesday and Wednesday with an increasing chance of rain and very low elevation snow through Saturday, according to the NWS.

Winter storm warnings stretch from the state of Washington to California, as well as from Nevada to Montana.

More than 17 million Americans are now under some sort of winter weather alert, according to Fox Weather report.