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Winds ravaged L.A. County overnight Friday, toppling trees and cutting out power for close to 20,000 Los Angeles residents, according to City News Service. The National Weather Service predicts that the gusts will continue through Friday and Saturday. The strength of the winds will likely decrease Friday afternoon before peaking again and developing into Santa Ana patterns.
The high wind advisory for Ventura County and the San Gabriel Mountains in L.A. County ended at 9 a.m. Friday morning, but will be extended until 2 p.m. Saturday for Orange County, while a regular wind advisory continues for the Santa Monica Mountain Recreational Area and the San Fernando Valley (a high wind advisory indicates speeds of up to 65 mph and a regular wind advisory indicates speeds of at least 35 mph). Gusty winds will likely continue all across the Southland, even in areas without a wind advisory. Authorities urge extra precaution while driving because of potentially strong cross winds, with the strongest gusts blowing along the I-5.
The winds have already taken a powerful toll on Los Angeles, including a wind-induced fire that erupted in a garage in Exposition Park, according to the LA Times. Winds reached 60 mph in parts of L.A., felling many trees and knocking out power lines, according to City News Service. Around 23,000 residents in the area woke up without power Friday morning, just under 20,000 of which are customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Albert Rodriguez with the LADWP tells LAist the outages have lowered to 15,000 from the initial 20,000, with power likely to be restored to all customers by Saturday morning. Most of the outages were concentrated around downtown and East Los Angeles, according to the L.A. Times.
The National Weather Service says the winds are the result of a weak frontal system passing north of the region.
