Slackening Winds Portend Warming, Calmer Days Ahead

Southern Californians enjoying the Presidents’ Day holiday Monday basked under skies swept clear by Santa Ana winds. The powerful gusts that had capsized boats and caused chain-traffic collisions over the weekend diminished, leaving prospects good for calmer weather during the rest of the week.

Meteorologist Steve Burback of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, predicted a further lessening of windy conditions today with clear skies and warmer than usual weather, with temperatures peaking in the 70s and 80s.

Monday’s high at the Los Angeles Civic Center was 75 degrees, and humidity ranged from 14% during the day to 54% overnight.

“It’s looking real pleasant,” Burback said.

The familiar pattern that produces Santa Ana winds--air flowing from a upper-level low over Utah and Nevada toward an upper-level high over California-- will continue today, but winds will be weaker, he said.

Winds that gusted to 30 m.p.h. were strong enough Monday for the National Weather Service to issue advisories to drivers of campers and trailers traveling in mountains north of Los Angeles and to issue small-craft warnings from Point Conception to Point Vicente.

A power outage believed to be wind-related Monday morning left about 1,800 Southern California Edison customers in the El Monte area without electricity for about 45 minutes, an Edison spokesman said.

Lifeguards reported a “pretty nice crowd” at Los Angeles County beaches at midday and in the early afternoon Monday until the winds came up and sent many sunbathers scurrying to their cars.

In Palm Springs, police said it was still windy Monday, but the gusts had diminished and conditions were not nearly so “radical” as Sunday night when paint-pitting sand scoured cars.

Also Sunday, three fishermen died when their 30-foot boat broke apart in rough seas off Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel. Blowing sand led to chain-reaction traffic accidents injuring at least 14 people--none seriously--in the Antelope Valley.

The Coast Guard rescued six people Sunday when their 25-foot powerboat ran out of gas in high seas off Catalina Island. Just outside Los Angeles Harbor, the 40-foot sailboat Yo Ho Ho swamped in 12-foot swells with five people aboard. They were assisted to the cutter Point Evans by a rescue swimmer.

Inside Los Angeles Harbor Sunday, a score of people who had decided to participate in a planned regatta, despite weather conditions, were pulled from the water, the Coast Guard reported.