LOCAL : Santa Ana Winds Batter O.C.; Costa Mesa Power Knocked Out

Blustery Santa Ana winds roared into Orange County this morning, prompting a power outage in Costa Mesa, triggering false alarms and causing morning commuters to play tag with tumbleweeds, tree limbs and other obstacles blown by winds clocked as high as 60 m.p.h.

The winds should subside by tonight, said a spokesman for WeatherData, which provides forecasting for The Times. But some gusty winds of up to 30 m.p.h. will continue through Friday.

Several blocks surrounding Costa Mesa City Hall, including the Police Department, lost electrical power and telephone service, police said. The outage also left several people stranded in an elevator for about an hour.

As some motorists fought to avoid large tumblesweeds on the Santa Ana Freeway near Sand Canyon Road, many commuters avoided that freeway altogether because of a misbelief that it was closed, CHP Officer Angel Johnson said.

A flap that covered a road sign at the El Toro “Y” announcing closure of Interstate 5 up to the Laguna Freeway blew off, causing many drivers to take Interstate 405 instead, Johnson said. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper from the “Y” almost to the John Wayne Airport.

Also in South County, a 20-foot eucalyptus tree fell across the on-ramp of the San Diego Freeway at Oso Parkway, prompting the CHP to issue a SigAlert. A motorist jumped out of his car, pulled out a chainsaw and assisted officers in removing the tree.