Weather
High Winds Hit Westwood-Century City, Rain On the Way
Rain is expected Friday and Saturday as a result of a storm system that originated in the Gulf of Alaska.
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Strong Santa Ana winds whipped across portions of the Southland on Tuesday, producing 40-mile-per-hour gusts in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys and knocking over a towering eucalyptus tree in Granada Hills before waning in the early afternoon.
The high winds will give way to rain by the end of the week as another storm system moves in, forecasters said.
Meanwhile, forecasters are warning of sub-freezing temperatures through Thursday in the Antelope Valley, issuing a cold weather alert for the area, and showers are expected later in the week.
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Century Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The National Weather Service advises residents in the Antelope Valley area to:
- Bring animals indoors at night;
- Keep outdoor generators at least 10 feet from all doors and windows to prevent exhaust gases from entering the home;
- Avoid using stoves, barbecues or ovens to heat a home, and install a carbon monoxide detector in the home to reduce the risk of poisoning;
- Protect sensitive outdoor plants from frost.
A wind advisory denoting the expectation of sustained winds or gusts of at least 35 mph remains in force until 3 p.m. in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains and the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, although the NWS said just after noon that winds have dropped below earlier advisory levels.
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Century Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The winds made driving difficult, especially on Interstate 5, the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, Pearblossom (SR23) Highway, and the 101 and 118 freeways, NWS forecasters said.
Powerful wind gusts were recorded in Los Angeles County overnight, including 52 mph at Whitaker Peak in the San Gabriels, 47 mph in the Malibu Hills, 35 mph in Saugus and 32 mph in Granada Hills, the NWS reported.
A eucalyptus tree possibly as high as 60 feet tall fell on the eaves of a single-story home in Granada Hills at 17608 Kingsbury St., causing minimal damage and toppling power lines. There were no reports of injuries and no street closures. A crew from the Department of Water and Power was at the scene Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday's temperatures will be several degrees higher in L.A. County and marginally higher still on Thursday but will dip by more than 10 degrees in some communities amid showers on Friday and by several degrees more -- down to the 50s -- amid more showers on Saturday.
Orange County temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be roughly the same as Tuesday's, then dip by several degrees amid showers Friday and Saturday.
The precipitation expected Friday and Saturday will result from a storm system that originated in the Gulf of Alaska and is expected to be off the coast of Mexico by Wednesday, when it will turn around as part of an unusual pattern and head for the Southland, making itself felt possibly starting late Thursday night, said NWS meteorologist Dave Bruno. It could produce between a quarter and half-inch of rain.
That system will linger on Saturday, when the Southland will be struck by a second weather system, a cold storm from Western Canada, Bruno said, adding it has a better chance than the first storm to generate heavy downpours, thunderstorms and snow at low elevations.
-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock
