After bringing snow to the Pacific Northwest Wednesday into Thursday, a very cold storm originating from Alaska will continue southward along the coast of California.

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© unknownSetup: Cold storm moves from CA to AZ
The image to the right shows this low-pressure system moving from California into the Southwest Friday through Saturday, bringing snow to unusual places along its path.

Snow will fall to elevations as low as 1,000 feet in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday. By Friday night into Saturday morning, it's not out of the question that some flakes may fall as low as sea level in the Bay Area. This is all dependent on how much moisture is leftover as the coldest air arrives.

Map: See Bay Area winter storm alerts

According to the National Weather Service, it has not snowed in downtown San Francisco since February of 1976. This gives an idea of the rarity of snow in San Francisco thanks to the marine influence of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, temperatures around 18,000 feet up in atmosphere could hit levels only seen one other time in the area since 1977. Just another example of how cold and unusual this storm is.

Snow in Southern California could fall to elevations as low as 1000 to 2000 feet in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties Friday night into Saturday. Light snow could fall in elevated valley locations of these counties, including the Santa Clarita Valley. Portions of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties could see some flakes fall as low as 500 feet.

Map: See S. Calif. winter storm alerts | Snow forecast map

Travel will be tough on many mountain roads and passes, including I-5 through the Grapevine. A foot or more of snow will pile up in the higher elevations above 5,000 feet.

A band of rain will move through the lower elevations along the coast of Southern California Friday night. Scattered showers and possibly a thunderstorm may linger on Saturday.

There is also a cold side to this story and record lows will be threatened the next couple of mornings from the Northwest to California.