Los Angeles

Strong Winds Peak During Morning Hours, Calm by Afternoon

After high winds raked much of Southern California Friday, strong winds peaked during the morning hours Saturday and were expected to calm in the afternoon.

Offshore winds continued Saturday morning, with more of a classic Santa Ana pattern, said NBC4 meteorologist David Biggar.

"By the afternoon, most of the winds will calm, and we will develop a light onshore breeze," Biggar said.

Strong winds toppled a large tree, which downed a power pole and landed on top of two cars in Altadena overnight.

On Friday, affected areas impacted included the Los Angeles region and ranged west through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Power outages affected more than 21,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers who lost electrical service overnight and several thousand Southern California Edison customers.

The north winds produced gusts well above 40 mph (64 kph) in many areas, and some locations had much higher blasts. A gust of 59 mph (95 kph) was registered in the Malibu Hills and one of 70 mph (113 kph) was recorded in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles.

The Santa Anas, produced by pressure building over the interior of the western U.S. were predicted to impact a much larger area — including Southern California's inland region and areas to the south through San Diego County.

The winds will lower humidity levels to a range of just 8 percent to 15 percent through Saturday, resulting in increased danger of grass fires.

Temperatures are expected to cool Sunday, especially along the coast, Biggar said. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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