Monday's Wind Followed by Warming Trend

Cold winds gusting up to 85 mph toppled tress and knocked out power to hundreds of customers Monday.

Severe Weather Warnings, Local Forecast

A power outage affecting 1,800 customers was reported in the Hancock Park area at 8:29 a.m., Gail Harris of the Department of Water and Power said. Harris said the cause of the outage was under investigation and the crews were working to restore power. 

More than 100 Southern California Edison customers -- 70 in Hawthorne, 23 in Inglewood and 22 in Rolling Hills -- were without power Monday morning due to the winds, said SCE spokesman Paul Klein. Winds have knocked down power lines, blown trees into the lines, and damaged transformers, Klein said, adding that crews were attempting to restore power to for customers who woke up in the dark.
  
The high winds were blamed for uprooting a tree In Sherman Oaks and for felling a 50-foot-tall tree that crushed a Ford Explorer in Culver City.

The strongest wind gusts recorded in Los Angeles County overnight were in mountain areas, including 85 mph at Whitaker Peak, 70 mph at Sandberg, 67 mph at Camp Nine, 65 mph at Warm Springs and 48 mph in the Malibu Hills, the National Weather Service reported.

A high wind warning -- signifying sustained winds of at least 40 mph , gusting at 58 mph or more -- was in effect until 10 a.m. in the mountains of Los Angles County, excluding the Santa Monica Mountain Recreational Area, where the warning expired at 3 a.m.

A wind advisory -- indicating winds of 35 mph or greater -- was in force until 10 a.m. in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and the Santa Monica Mountain Recreational Area. Gusts of up to 40 mph were recorded in the Santa Clarita Valley early this morning, the NWS reported.

The wind advisory expired at 3 a.m. in the Antelope Valley, on Santa Catalina Island and the coastal area of Los Angeles, including downtown and the Hollywood Hills.
   
"Gusty northwest winds behind an exiting storm system will continue through Monday morning until a tight surface pressure gradient relaxes," said a National Weather Service advisory.
  
Until then, "there is a potential for damaging wind gusts," including up to 70 mph in Los Angeles County mountain areas, with the strongest winds expected along the Interstate 5 corridor.
  
A high surf advisory, meanwhile, was in effect through Monday morning along a long stretch of the Southern California Coast, from Point Piedras Blanca to Point Conception. The National Weather Service forecast surf from 4 to 7 feet along the Los Angeles County Coast, amid strong rip currents.

By Tuesday, the winds will have calmed down and temperatures will be several degrees higher -- by 10 degrees in the Santa Clarita Valley.
  
The NWS forecast highs of 59 Monday at Mount Wilson, 65 on Tuesday; 63 Monday in Newhall, 73 Tuesday; 61 Monday in Lancaster and Palmdale, 69 Tuesday; 63 Monday at LAX, 69 Tuesday; 64 Monday in Newport Beach, 68 Tuesday; 64 Monday in Avalon, 69 Tuesday; 66 Monday in Long Beach; 75 Tuesday; 67 Monday in San Gabriel and Burbank, 76 Tuesday; 68 Monday in Pasadena, Woodland Hills and Anaheim, 77 Tuesday; 69 Monday in downtown Los Angeles, 77 Tuesday.
  
The entire week, including Monday, is forecast to be sunny.

Contact Us