Strong winds across Southern California knocked down trees and power lines, causing outages for more than 50,000 people across the Los Angeles area Tuesday night.
According to Southern California Edison, as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, the number of outages decreased to approximately 37,000.
Wind gusts in the mountains could be as strong as 50-60 mph, while the majority of the LA area was experiencing wind gusts of about 25-45 mph, NBC4 meterologist Fritz Coleman said.
The winds were so strong that the Los Angeles Police Department even grounded its air fleet of helicopters, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said.
Due to the strong winds through the Los Angeles area, the Department of Water and Power reported approximately 35,000 outages in the Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake, Mid-Wilshire, Los Feliz, Fairfax, Koreatown and other areas.
Crews were at work on restoring service, the DWP said. The agency said there was no estimate when power would be fully restored to affected areas.
LADWP urged all customers to use caution around downed power lines and poles. If you see a downed wire, immediately dial 911, the DWP said, warning customers to never touch a downed power line.
In addition to the power outages, a tree fell onto the 10 Freeway westbound near the Crenshaw Boulevard exit, causing traffic delays. Another tree in Baldwin Park fell onto a home. One tree even fell on top of a police cruiser, hinting at damage caused across Southern California.
As Newschopper4 Alpha flew over the city, multiple transformers could be seen exploding, likely causing even more power outages and damage.
