Gale-Force Winds Stir Up Dust, Blow Chill Through Southland

Strong, gusty Santa Ana winds--reaching gale-force at times--swept Southern California on Tuesday, blowing clouds of dust and chilling residents as the thermometer dropped toward overnight lows in the upper 30s and 40s in some areas.

The winds fanned a “major emergency” fire at Universal Studios on Tuesday night (See story Part A, Page 1).

Another wind-driven fire burned out of control in brushland at the north end of Camp Pendleton, the sprawling Marine Corps base near Oceanside.

A brush fire that broke out in the San Dimas area around noon Tuesday swept over 10 acres, briefly threatening three homes before the flames were controlled by Los Angeles County firefighters.

Gale-force gusts of 55 m.p.h. were reported on Interstate 5 near the Grapevine. Gusts of 45 m.p.h. were recorded at Ontario International Airport.

Meteorologist Marty McKewon of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, predicted that today will also be windy, with the Santa Ana condition moderating on Thursday.

The winds were being generated by a strong high-pressure area over northern Utah flowing toward a surface low in southern Arizona and then blasting toward the Southland, McKewon said.

Wind advisories against truck, trailer and motor-home travel were issued for Interstate 10 in the Ontario area, Interstate 5 in the Tehachapis and California 14 in the Antelope Valley.

Commuter traffic was blocked for hours Tuesday afternoon when several power poles on Highland Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga were toppled by the wind, the California Highway Patrol said.

Southern California Edison reported that more than 1,200 of its customers in La Canada Flintridge were without electricity for a time Tuesday night because of broken tree limbs falling on power lines.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported a dozen outages, affecting about 650 customers from about two minutes to up to an hour.

Overnight lows were expected to drop into the upper 30s over a widespread area, including Pomona, Azusa, Thousand Oaks and Ojai, McKewon said.