The City of Claremont is still cleaning up from last month's windstorm, which knocked over trees and caused thousands to lose power. Now, on Wednesday, they have to prepare for strong winds all over again, as powerful gusts make their way back to Southern California.
According to NBC4 meteorologist Belen De Leon, gusty Santa Ana winds -- already strong Wednesday morning -- will get even stronger and more widespread as the day continues.
"Most of SoCal is under a wind alert with possible gusts from 55 to 65 mph," she said, "but some isolated spots could have 70 mph gusts."
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Those winds could topple trees and damage power lines, in addition to blowing around dust and pollen that will likely aggravate the allergies of SoCal citizens.
In January 2022, when similarly powerful gusts blew through the region, huge trees in areas like Claremont were ripped up from the ground by their roots. In one neighborhood, the trees that came down were large enough to block off entire streets end-to-end.
Another tree in Ontario came crashing down on a family home, trapping a mother and son inside and causing fire and electrocution hazards when it took a live power line with it.
Some wind-prone communities, such as Rialto, San Bernardino and Fontana woke up to strong gusts again on Wednesday.
High-profile vehicles like big-rig trucks may face difficulties on the roads Wednesday, especially along the 15 Freeway.
The return of the winds marks a reminder to secure items that might blow away and cause hazards, and to prepare for possible power outages.
"Today will be the windiest day, but the alerts will in effect until noon Thursday," De Leon said. "Another round of strong winds is possible Thursday night into Friday."
