Blustery Winds Sweep Across the Southland

Powerful Santa Ana winds, gusting in scattered areas at over 80 mph, howled across Southern California on Wednesday, forcing the closure of Ontario International Airport and parts of Interstate 15, turning semitrailer trucks on their sides, downing power lines, fanning a 40-acre brush fire in Glendale and littering the landscape with toppled trees.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

Ontario’s incoming flights were diverted to Los Angeles, and all airlines at the airport in San Bernardino County except American canceled their flights by midafternoon, airport spokeswoman Maria Tesoro said.

The airport, which serves an average of 34,000 people a day, was hit by 83-mph winds pushing huge clouds of dust, Tesoro said.

“We had one single-engine aircraft turned over,” she said.

Ontario Police Det. Al Parra said the winds were so powerful Wednesday morning that some traffic signals were knocked out and six major power lines “were snapped like toothpicks.”

On highways near the airport, the fierce winds toppled several semis as though they were children’s toys.

“They are everywhere,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Oscar Medellin. The biggest problem was at the foot of Cajon Pass where Interstate 15 links San Bernardino and the High Desert.

“We are taking all high-profile vehicles off at Devore. We won’t let them over,” Medellin said. “They are just going to have to wait it out or go around another way.”

Blown-over big rigs snarled traffic on interstates 10, 15 and 60.

“This is an absolute nightmare,” said CHP Officer Randy Young.

The San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, normally hit hard by Santa Anas, mostly escaped damage this time. Although winds gusted as high as 63 mph in Newhall and 56 mph in Chatsworth, according to the National Weather Service, no major structural damage was reported in the valleys as of Wednesday afternoon.

More than 200 firefighters fought the Glendale fire, which broke out on a steep hillside in Brand Park just after 3 p.m., and alerted residents that they might be evacuated.

Fire crews from four departments--Glendale, Los Angeles city, Los Angeles County and Burbank--battled the flames burning above Caleb Street and Hillcrest Avenue, aided by as many as four water-dropping helicopters.

At dusk, firefighters had contained 50% of the fire, which consumed about 40 acres of brush and was burning across the rough terrain in a jagged line away from homes.

Fire officials expected full containment by 9 p.m., providing they got cooperation from the winds. “The quick initial attack on this fire made a difference,” said Glendale Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Grey. “But we’re keeping a close eye on the wind conditions.”

Nervous residents also were keeping watch, including one couple who moved to a house on Hillcrest Avenue four years ago and had not experienced a brush fire before.

“For whatever reason, I didn’t think of myself as living in a fire zone,” Ron Kojis said. “It makes us realize we need an [escape] plan.”

His wife added: “I was thinking of baking gingerbread cookies for my kindergarten class, not a fire.” Earlier in the day, downed power lines on the border of Glendale and La Crescenta caused a brush fire that swept over about an acre before it was put out, according to Glendale Fire Department officials. Electricity was interrupted in the area only briefly.

Other power outages, including one caused by a damaged power pole that affected 20 homes in Canyon Country, were also relatively minor.

“We estimate that in the Los Angeles area, we have had 107,000 customers affected by power outages during the last 24 hours,” Gil Alexander, spokesman for Southern California Edison said Wednesday afternoon. “The problems we have had in the San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita areas represent only a small fraction of that.”

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported outages affecting about 1,600 homes in Tujunga and Woodland Hills.

“It was the usual trees hitting power lines,” said DWP spokeswoman Darlene Battle. “Nothing too bad, compared to past wind storms.”

The biggest wind problem faced by Burbank police and fire officials was right above their heads. Metal flashing on the roof of their headquarters, dedicated last year, was blown loose.

“It was huge pieces, about 10 feet by 3 feet, coming off the edge when someone noticed it,” said Lt. Janice Lowers of the Burbank Police Department. “Two firemen and two police officers got up there and took the sheets off. It could have been nasty, but they caught it in time.”

In keeping with a year of abnormal weather, the Santa Ana winds showed up without one of their usual key components--heat. These Santa Ana winds were tepid, almost cool, in comparison with the searing temperatures they usually carry.

“It’s an unusual situation,” said Guy Pearson, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which supplies The Times with weather information. “You just had, in Southern California, a cold system that had moved on to the east.

“These Santa Ana winds came from that direction, so they were cooled down from the start.”

Otherwise, the winds were classic Santa Anas. They flowed from a massive high pressure system that stretched over parts of Idaho, Utah, Nevada and California, heading toward a low pressure system in northern Mexico.

The Santa Anas are expected to blow briskly through noon today and then slow a bit, but continue to bring breezy conditions to the Los Angeles area into Saturday.

Even though the winds were not as warm as usual, these Santa Anas are expected to elevate temperatures in the area. The San Fernando Valley can expect highs in the low to mid-70s today and then the mid- to upper 70s on Friday and Saturday, according to Pearson. Skies will be mostly sunny into Saturday and no rain is expected.

These pleasant conditions are in sharp contrast to those exactly 10 years ago today, when a fire driven by fiercely hot Santa Anas roared through Porter Ranch, destroying 13 homes and damaging 23 others. More than 3,000 acres of brush in the northern San Fernando Valley were blackened by the fire and an estimated 8,000 residents were evacuated.

The fire was the third in a series of major blazes that week in the Los Angeles area that destroyed parts of neighborhoods. All were fueled by Santa Ana winds.

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Times staff writer Colker reported from the San Fernando Valley; correspondent Trevino from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Andrew Blankstein contributed to this story.

Santa Ana Wind Conditions

Where they come from

The Santa Ana winds that hit the area Wednesday blew out of a high-pressure system over Utah and traveled in a south westerly direction through mountains and deserts en route to the ocean. The winds flowed along the bands of constant atmospheric pressure between the high pressure system and a low pressure system in northern Mexico. The winds picked up speed as they squeezed through San Gabriel mountain passes.

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What happens when winds pass through mountains

1. Air is cool and holds fair amount of moisture.

2. Air loses moisture as it moves up mountains.

3. Wind speed increases as air funnels through mountain passes.

4. Air heading toward ocean is almost devoid of moisture.

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High pressure region in Northern Utah

Low pressure region in northern Mexico

Winds flow along lines of constant atmospheric pressure

Source: WeatherData Inc.