Wind gusts top 90 mph, sending ash and smoke across Southern California

The strongest Santa Ana winds of the year not only fueled wildfires in Orange County but brought unhealthful air quality to parts of the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Valley as ash from the Bobcat fire blew into neighborhoods.

The powerful winds, which included gusts that topped 90 mph at at least one location, toppled big rigs in the Inland Empire and forced officials to briefly close Ontario International Airport. Dan Gregoria, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego, said gusts at the airport on Monday had clocked in as high as 70 mph.

Santa Anas are expected to return early Tuesday before dying off in the afternoon, Gregoria added.

Firefighter Raymond Vasquez fights the Silverado fire fueled by Santa Ana winds at the 241 toll road and Portola Parkway in Irvine.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The winds fueled two big fires — in Irvine and Yorba Linda — and that sent smoke into many parts of Orange County.

But officials believe the poor air quality in Los Angeles County had a different cause.

The particles were probably from the nearly contained Bobcat fire, which has been burning for more than a month in the Angeles National Forest, a forest spokesman said.

The Bobcat fire has scorched more than 115,000 acres, leaving a forest floor carpeted in gray, burned flecks of brush and trees. With winds whipping through Los Angeles County at gusts up to 60 mph, ash is being carried into East L.A. and nearby cities, Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said.

“It would be easy to extrapolate that we have a major fire of 115,000 acres, that wind blowing down from that northeast direction is going to push that [ash] down into the southern part of L.A. County,” Mitchell said, adding that the Bobcat fire is 95% contained.

He also said it’s possible the ash could be coming from the El Dorado fire farther east.

Air quality in Los Angeles is suffering as a result of the particulate matter, with parts of the county in the “unhealthy” range, according to government tracking.

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Sept. 11, 2020

In some mountain ridges, winds are in the upper 70 mph range, with 96-mph gusts recorded in the Magic Mountain Truck Trail, according to the National Weather Service.

Powerful winds also pounded Northern California, prompting Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to shut off power to about 361,000 customers in the weather-weary region.

Strong Diablo winds continued Monday in the area surrounding the Sacramento Valley, most of the Sierra, parts of southern Kern County and the mountainous regions of the Bay Area, including the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Anthony Bravo, 31, and his dog Kylo watch as smoke from the Silverado fire shrouds the Los Angeles skyline.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Red flag warnings are in place for most of Northern California. A warning for the North Bay Mountains and the East Bay Hills is in place through Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

A 94-mph gust blew through part of Tahoe overnight, and Mt. Saint Helena saw gusts at 89 mph, according to the weather service.

“It’s been very dry,” National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Schneider said. “We’ve been kind of lucky here. We haven’t had any major fires starting overnight in our area. But it’s certainly dry enough.”

Angelina Skovlova, 13, left, and Mila Rubinstein, 15, brave the high winds at Lake Balboa Beilenson Park in Encino.

(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

A few small fires did ignite, but emergency responders were able to snuff them out before they grew, she said. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection units for San Mateo and Santa Cruz reported downed trees in Half Moon Bay.

Once the fierce offshore winds taper off Tuesday, lower temperatures are expected to roll in, making for cooler nights in parts of the Bay Area, Schneider said.