The beach at Southern California's Surf City was transformed into a white canvas after a dumping of hail - but that didn'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 didn'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 .