A major snowstorm is even impacting the usually-sunny San Diego region.

A large portion of the United States is currently experiencing a major snowstorm, with nearly half of the States under some degree of snowfall advisory. Surprisingly, though, this snowfall is strong enough to even reach regions that usually see little-to-no snowfall, such as southern California.

The region around California’s Mount Baldy, east of Los Angeles, is projected to receive up to 4.5 feet of snow by the weekend. “It’s not too often that we talk about one to three feet of snow above 4,000 feet, let alone locally five feet,” National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Tardy said Tuesday.

“This isn’t a matter of if it’ll rain or snow, but how much,” Tardy added.

Compared to other regions, the snowfall isn’t expected to be intense enough to warrant a full-on emergency response, though response teams are still on standby to plow roads and deploy emergency vehicles just in case. Some analysts have expressed concerns that, should snow pile up around the base of the mountain and rain follows, a low-grade avalanche-flood could be triggered, though the odds of this are low.

A strong snowpack has been a point of optimism for many Californians, as more snow around the mountain will ensure a greater flow of water. This, in turn, will lessen some of California’s ongoing drought concerns.