Winds Rake Southland but Mostly Spare Los Angeles

Santa Ana winds whipped through the Southland early this morning, causing havoc on San Bernardino freeways, flooding some Orange County coastal highway areas and blowing down power lines, but for the most part sparing metropolitan Los Angeles.

The cold desert winds, which at times gusted to 80 m.p.h., created dark swirling dust on some Inland Empire freeways, blinded motorists, flipped trucks and pushed small cars about like toys, California Highway Patrol officials said. More than two dozen traffic accidents were reported; however, there were no reports of serious injuries.

The winds are expected to continue throughout the day and possibly worsen tonight and early Tuesday, according to weather forecasters. Wind advisories remain in effect for trailer rigs and other high-profile vehicles on freeways and major highways from the western edge of the Inland Empire east to Blythe near the Arizona border.

CHP officials said the winds were among the strongest they have seen this season and predicted that the travel advisories will remain in effect until at least Tuesday morning. The 80 m.p.h. gust was reported in the Laguna Peak area near Point Magu in Ventura County.

The powerful winds made this morning’s commute a nightmare for motorists in the Inland Empire, where portions of three freeways were closed by dangerous dust clouds that cut visibility.

“The traffic is heavy, the visibility is poor and down to zero in some stretches,” CHP Officer Marty Bell said in San Bernardino. “It’s best to just stay out of the area altogether if possible.”

By noon, the CHP reported that 15 trailer rigs had been toppled by the heavy winds.

One unidentified driver received scrapes and bruises after the wind tipped his truck rig onto its side. One highway patrol officer reported that the wind blew out the back window of his patrol car.

A part of California 60 was closed to all traffic due to blowing sand and sudden gusts, while Interstate 15 was closed from Baseline Road east to the community of Devore. A section of Interstate 10 near the Ontario Airport in western San Bernardino County was also closed.

The southbound lanes of Interstate 15 near Devore were closed for several hours because of the vicious wind gusts funneling through Cajon Pass.

Exacerbating the difficult driving conditions were swirling leaves and small branches torn from trees. Sand, dust and small rocks also pelted windshields in some areas and caused a giant brown cloud to form over much of the region by mid-morning.

Another round of gusty desert winds whipsawed Orange County, ripping signs off their posts and interrupting power to at least 16,600 homes and businesses. Several areas of the Pacific Coast Highway were temporarily flooded by wind-thrown waves coming off the ocean.

The powerful winds prompted the Orange County Fire Department to call a “red flag alert,” an extra high state of readiness to protect against threat of wind-whipped fire.

The winds blew a steady 23 m.p.h. at John Wayne Airport with occasional gusts to 35 m.p.h., the National Weather Service reported. They were even higher at the Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro where gusts as high as 37 m.p.h. were reported.