Santa Ana Howls Over California
High winds battered Southern California Wednesday, toppling big rigs like toys, snapping poles and power lines, and fanning brush fires.
Fire fighters attempted to take advantage of calmer winds overnight as they battled a brush fire near Glendale that was earlier fanned by the powerful Santa Ana winds.
The seasonal winds that blew through the Los Angeles basin Wednesday also snapped power poles and whipped up blinding dust storms, which forced airlines to cancel flights at one inland airport.
CBS This Morning Meteorologist Craig Allen reports that the same weather was expected until Thursday afternoon, when the gusty winds are expected to die down, giving way to breezy 15-20 mph conditions Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a high-wind warning for the entire region through Thursday.
On Wednesday, sustained winds near 50 mph and gusts up to 80 mph raced through Orange County's Fremont Canyon. With winds of up to 76 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains, 69 mph in Calabasas and 58 mph in Malibu, firefighters mobilized forces in areas ripe for wildfires.
Sparking power lines touched off a 10-acre brush fire in the Santiago Canyon area of Orange County, but it was contained in two hours.
A 60-acre fire near Glendale was 80 percent contained early Thursday morning. Ground crews worked through the night, hampered by thick vegetation. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Firefighters throughout the region were put on a red-flag alert because of the danger. No homes were lost to the flames, but several residents did have to evacuate.
Billowing dust clouds blew across Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, where gusts reached 83 mph. Wind shears and dust clouds led nine of the 10 airlines using the inland airport to cancel all flights, said airport spokeswoman Maria Tesoro. Only American Airlines opted to continue its flights. Dust also obscured Palm Springs Airport runways.
The blustery weather was too much for Troy Minnehan, 24, of Encino. He skipped work at his auto body shop and found peace in a hot espresso drink and a cigarette.
"It would just be too tough to work," Minnehan said, standing near a cafe. "It's a better day for a jacket and a good cup of coffee."
There were scattered power outages throughout the region. Also, freeways in Riverside and San Bernardino counties were littered with blown-over tractor trailers and on Interstate 15 near Fontana, wooden boards blew off an overpass under construction.
A row of giant wooden utility poles snapped in the Highland area of San Bernardino County. One pole pierced a home's shingle roof in a startling 3:30 a.m. PST wake-up call for resident Tracylyn Sherrit.
"It was like God falling on my home. I thought an airplane actually fell on my home. The ceiling in the living room is now down on the floor," the shaken resident said.
Hairtylist Richard Glen took the winds in stride, saying those gusts can become a fashion statement.
"The more wind-blown your hair is, the more beautiful it is," said Glen, a stylist at Juan A Salon in Sherman Oaks.
"We make sure we do more layering and tell people to keep a bottle of hair spray with them," he said.