Crews were working through Tuesday morning to restore power to a few thousand customers as strong and damaging winds lashed the region, downing trees and power lines.
Winds of 20-30 mph caused limbs, trees and power lines to topple Monday. The most damaging gusts were likely to hit overnight into Tuesday, especially in the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley. The winds are likely to die down by Tuesday afternoon.
A high wind warning, signifying the expectation of 58-mile-per-hour winds or gusts, was scheduled to be in effect in the San Gabriels until 9 a.m. It will be immediately followed by a wind advisory, which denotes winds or gusts of 35 mph, until 2 p.m.
In the Antelope Valley, a high wind warning was scheduled to be in effect until 3 a.m., and no other wind warning or advisory was immediately scheduled.
Winds of 30-45 mph accompanied by 65-mph gusts were forecast in the San Gabriels, with the strongest winds expected in the Interstate 5 Corridor. In the Antelope Valley, the wind was blowing at between 25 and 40 mph and gusting at up to 60 mph, with the strongest winds occurring in the area's western sector and the foothills.
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An approximate 16,600 customers -- 13,500 LADWP customers and 3,100 SoCal Edison customers -- were without power Monday night.
View the LADWP outage map here.
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View the SoCal Edison outage map here.
Felled lines were blamed for setting some large trees ablaze in the 400 block of South Arden Boulevard in Hancock Park, but no one was injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Elsewhere, more than 1,700 DWP customers in Sherman Oaks lost power after a tree fell and landed on a car, taking power lines with it, the fire department reported.
Two trees fell in Whittier Monday, likely due to strong winds that raked the area, and one person was injured when a vehicle hit one of them, authorities said.
The first tree fell about 5:10 p.m. in the 12400 block of Washington Boulevard, near Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, and landed on a car, but no one was injured, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The second went down about 30 minutes later in the area of Norwalk Boulevard and El Rancho Drive, according to the fire department. A pickup truck struck the downed tree and injured its driver, who was taken to a hospital, authorities said. The driver's injuries were not believed to be serious.
Authorities warned such strong winds could seriously impede visibility by churning up dust and sand, urging residents to "be prepared to secure all loose outdoor furniture in advance of the onset of strong winds.''
The winds will diminish somewhat Monday morning but remain gusty through early Monday afternoon.
A wind advisory was scheduled to be in effect until 9 a.m. on Santa Catalina Island, along the L.A. County Coast, in beach cities, Metropolitan L.A. Downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills, and until 2 p.m. in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
North winds of between 15 and 25 mph along with 40-mph gusts were expected in Los Angeles and on Santa Catalina Island Tuesday while in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, winds were expected to blow at between 20-30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph.
Along the L.A. County coast, including Santa Catalina Island, a beach hazard statement -- a notch less alarming than a high surf advisory -- will be in effect through Wednesday afternoon, with surf of between 3 and 6 feet expected.
A beach hazards statement is issued when threats such as rip currents, longshore currents, sneaker waves and other hazards create life-threatening conditions in the surf zone,'' said a National Weather Service statement. "Caution should be used when in or near the water."
Sunny skies are expected Tuesday, along with highs in the 60s and 70s.
