Strong Wind Expected to Last All Day

Less than two days after howling Santa Ana winds ripped through Southern California, strong gusts returned Thursday night and were expected to torment the region through this evening.

Winds blowing 40 to 50 m.p.h. began in some areas late Thursday afternoon, and forecasters said they would continue at the same intensity through much of the day today--with gusts up to 70 m.p.h. in mountains and passes.

“It will be pretty wicked out there, I’m afraid,” said Dan Bowman, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. “It could be just as strong in some areas as the other day.”

By 4 p.m. Thursday, visibility was reported near zero in the Antelope Valley and Mojave Desert as a result of sand kicked up by wind gusts reaching 45 m.p.h. Officials advised against travel in the two areas because of the low visibility.

Department of Water and Power officials reported about 1,500 customers without service late Thursday, most of them in the Mulholland, Beverly Glen and San Fernando Valley areas.

Another 2,000 Southern California Edison Co. customers in the hilly areas from La Canada Flintridge east toward San Bernardino had lost power by 7:30 p.m. due to downed wires and other problems.

As of 9:30 p.m, however, damage to property appeared limited, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Vechil of the Crescenta Valley sheriff’s substation.

‘Lot of Burglar Alarms

“So far we’ve had a couple trees down and a lot of burglar alarms--knock on wood. We haven’t had anything of any severity,” Vechil said.

The new winds began to swirl just as many Southland residents finished sweeping up debris scattered by the previous gusts early Wednesday, which battered houses, felled trees, toppled trucks and planes and resulted in at least one death.

“It’s been crazy,” said Monica Storey, a secretary at Steven’s Tree Experts in Pasadena, whose 10 phone lines had been ringing non-stop since Wednesday. “One woman called and asked if we remove trees from bathrooms. I had to laugh. She said the tree literally went through the bathroom roof. She called it an instant skylight.”

Terry Smith, manager of Johnson’s Tree Service in Monrovia, said he had received several calls “before 6 a.m. Wednesday--and I don’t even open until 7.”

For two days, Smith said, he dispatched four three-man crews. But they could only handle the worst emergencies, such as trees blocking streets, flattening vehicles or landing on roofs, because “I was three to four weeks backlogged to begin with.”

Roofers also had more business than they could handle. Some, including Don Henderson, the owner of Devon Roof Co. in Pasadena, were telling residents to hold off their service requests until the new winds die down.

“There are a couple of repairs that I’ve just plain told them to wait because the winds are supposed to start up again and there would just be more damage,” Henderson said.

The new winds couldn’t have come at a worse time for Southern California Edison Co. power crews, who have been working without sleep in the San Gabriel Valley since 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Don Meyer, area manager for the power company’s Monrovia district, said 270 Edison employees from cities not affected by the winds have been called in to supplement his work force of 40.

Trying to Restore Service

The crews, working an area from La Canada Flintridge to Irwindale, were still trying Thursday afternoon to restore service to 350 customers who have been without power since early Wednesday.

“If the severity of this storm is greater than Wednesday’s, we’re going to have to ask for more outside crews to give these guys a break,” Meyer said.

“They seem to have an endless amount of energy during these times. They haven’t slept for two days and many of them have taken meals only after 8 to 12 hours of work.”

The county Fire Department added extra staffers at each of its three communications centers Thursday night to deal with wind-related problems.

“We’re already getting hundreds of extra calls,” said Captain Pete Sylchak at about 7:15 p.m.

On Wednesday, almost 500 calls backed up at the county’s San Gabriel Valley communications center. Three extra dispatchers were called in Thursday night to assist the four staffers regularly on duty, and other backup dispatchers were placed on call if needed.

Los Angeles city firefighters were called to Griffith Park on Thursday afternoon to fight a wind-fanned fire that scorched an acre of brush. There were no reports of injuries or damage to buildings.

Boaters, meanwhile, were warned by the Sheriff’s Department to avoid crossing the channel to Catalina Island.

Meteorologist Bowman said temperatures should reach the mid-60s today and the sky should remain clear--so “you can watch your lawn furniture visit the neighbor’s house.”

The winds are expected to die down late tonight, with mild breezes expected for the weekend.

Temperatures Saturday should reach the low 70s and on Sunday could climb to the upper 70s through much of the Los Angeles area. With continued clear skies predicted, “it will be a great weekend for finding that furniture,” Bowman said.

The temperature Thursday reached a high of 68 degrees at the Los Angeles Civic Center, one degree below normal. The low was 48 degrees, also one degree below normal.