The beach at Southern California 's Surf City was transformed into a white canvas after a dumping of hail - but that did n't stop the surfers from hitting the shore . The National Weather Service says at least an inch of pea-sized icy pellets coated the sand at Huntington Beach after a fast-moving storm roared ashore Monday morning . And with the air temperature around 40 degrees , the frozen droplets didn ’ t melt immediately . Thick-skinned beach-goers were spotted building snowmen on the coastline while some surfers even braved the cold . Brianna Burkhart , who works at Duke 's restaurant on the city pier , said the sky suddenly turned dark and then opened up . Along with hail , lighting and rain rolled in too . Warming up : The beach at Southern California 's Surf City was transformed into a white canvas after a dumping of hail - but that did n't stop the surfers from hitting the shore . Dedicated : Surfer Derek Peters of Huntington Beach stretches before surfing amid a rare blanket of hail . Freezing climates : The National Weather Service says at least an inch of pea-sized icy pellets coated the sand at Huntington Beach after a fast-moving storm roared ashore Monday morning . Burkhart says when it was all over the beach was completely white and it looked like it had snowed . It 's the second winter storm to hit the area in several days . Over the weekend a smattering of hail was reported to the north on Venice Beach . Plane pilots reported seeing funnel clouds over the ocean about 25 miles off Redondo Beach . Huntington Beach marine safety Lt. Mike Beuerlein could recall only three other times he ’ d seen the sand turn white in his 34 years of working in the department . ' I don ’ t know where the line is between hail and snow , but it sure looks like snow to me , ' he told the Orange County Register . 'It ’ s surprising and amazing every time it happens . It was almost like Christmas morning , ' he added . After the wintry showers , the cloud lifted to reveal blue skies . Rainbows were also spotted from many spots of Orange County . Weather forecasters say temperatures will rise , and by the weekend could hit 80 in some parts of Southern California . Settled : With the air temperature around 40 degrees the frozen droplets didn ’ t melt immediately . Wrapped up : Thick-skinned beach-goers were spotted building snowmen on the seashore while some surfers even braved the cold . Quick blast : After the wintry showers , the cloud lifted to reveal blue skies - Rainbows were also spotted from many spots of Orange County . Sunny horizons : Weather forecasters say temperatures will rise , and by the weekend could hit 80 in some parts of Southern California .
At least an inch of icy pellets coated the sand at Huntington Beach after the system roared ashore Monday morning . It 's the second winter storm to hit the area in several days . Weather forecasters say temperatures will rise , and by the weekend could hit 80 in some parts of California .