Gusty Winds Bring Down Trees, Cause Power Outages All Over SoCal
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Strong, gusty winds Monday brought down trees all over Southern California, causing a number of power outages — but winds were expected to come in even stronger overnight as temperatures were expected to drop.
Trees went down and dry branches went everywhere, carried by winds that whipped up overnight in the mountains and valleys.
On the westbound 118 Freeway at Reseda Boulevard in Porter Ranch, a large pine fell onto two right lanes and sent a large branch into a Lyft vehicle's front grates, piercing the radiator and oil cooler. The driver and passenger were not hurt.
"It's almost like it came out of nowhere," driver Joe Hernandez said. "I was the first one to hit it, I guess. It felt like we went through a bale of hay or something."
In Panorama City, residents on Clearfield Avenue heard a large boom at about 10:45 p.m., and went outside to find a large tree had come down, took out a street sign, and was blocking the streets. The tree did not damage any homes, and the homeowner said it was fortunate that no car were parked underneath it.
In San Bernardino, a 70-mph wind gust blasted a massive sheet of roofing material right over Conni Boltinhouse's head, and sent it slamming down on her front lawn.
"It literally felt like a tornado," she said. "It was just going in circles around me, so bad."
The wind was so strong, she said her 4-pound chihuahua was lifted off the ground while on a walk.
In South LA, another large tree branch on Valparaiso Street came down onto a car, crushing its windshield and roof. No one was hurt.
A massive tree on Fairview Avenue in Sierra Madre was uprooted, burying at least one car under its branches and damaging two homes across the street. No injuries were reported.
Power outages have also been reported in Hollywood Hills, Pacific Palisades, Valley Village, Mission Hills, the Mid-City area and in Los Feliz. As many as 6,500 customers are reported to be without power.
LADWP issued a statement estimating that power would be restored anywhere between 8 to 10 hours from the start of an outage "due in part to the challenges posed by heavy winds."
At LAX, a plane taking off was damaged when the wind blew a trash bin onto the runway. The plane's nosegear and two of its tires blew out from the impact.
San Marino police also issued a warning to residents about downed power lines and outages, while in Manhattan Beach, police advised drivers to avoid southbound Sepulveda at Manhattan Beach Boulevard due to traffic signs that were left hanging in the wind. A power outage has also taken out several traffic lights in El Segundo.
South Coast Air Quality Management District officials issued a windblown dust advisory through Tuesday for portions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties due to the windy conditions. They said residents in the impacted areas should limit their outdoor exposure and keep windows and doors closed.
