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High winds buffet LA and Orange County areas

by in News

LOS ANGELES — High winds buffeted the Los Angeles area Thursday and will do so until Saturday afternoon, forecasters said.

A wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service will be in force until 1 p.m. Saturday in several areas of L.A. County, the NWS said from its forecast office in Oxnard.

Winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of near 50 mph, were blowing in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Clarita Valley, and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, according to the weather service.Slightly weaker winds — 15 to 25 mph with gusts of up to 40 mph — were blowing around Los Angeles in beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles, downtown L.A. and the Hollywood Hills. The wind advisory in that zone will be in force from 6 a.m. today until 1 p.m. Saturday.

“Gusty winds will make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” warned an NWS statement. “When driving, use extra caution. Be prepared for sudden gusty cross winds.”

The NWS said this morning it chronicled strong wind gusts in L.A. County since 11 p.m. Wednesday, but they were far weaker than commonly seen during high-wind events, with none reaching 50 miles per hour, even in the San Gabriel Mountains. The strongest included 47 mph at Mill Creek in the San Gabriels, 43 mph at Escondido Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, and 37 mph in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley.

Winds of 20 to 30 mph with 45-mph gusts were also reported in inland Orange County, including in the mountains, with the strongest gusts — 46 mph — observed at Fremont Canyon. The wind advisory in Orange County will be in effect until 2 this afternoon.

The NWS forecast sunny skies in L.A. County Thursday and warmer temperatures — 51 degrees on Mount Wilson; 59 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 65 in Santa Clarita; 69 in San Pedro; 70 in Torrance, Burbank, North Hollywood, Northridge, Van Nuys and Woodland Hills and at LAX; 71 in downtown L.A., Pasadena and San Gabriel; and 72 in West Covina and Whittier. A warming trend will get underway Friday, but temperatures will revert to the 60s on Wednesday amid rain.

Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County, although mountain locales will be windy, along with highs of 45 on Santiago Peak; 59 on Ortega Highway; 64 in Fremont Canyon and San Clemente; 66 in Trabuco Canyon and Laguna Beach; 67 in Newport Beach; 69 in Yorba Linda; 71 in Mission Viejo; and 72 in Santa Ana, Fullerton, Anaheim and Irvine. Temperatures will climb to the 80s Saturday and Sunday.