Winds Cut Power to More Than 2,000 Households
Gusty winds whipped through Los Angeles Thursday, reaching speeds of up to 35 m.p.h. in the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys and knocking out power to more than 2,000 households.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Water and Power said that 2,400 customers in Encino, South Los Angeles and Westwood were without electricity because of wind-caused outages lasting an average of 95 minutes. Some homeowners reported losses of power because of wind-blown tree branches and palm fronds falling on power lines.
Meanwhile, gusts of up to 70 m.p.h. blew through local deserts, knocking out power for a time to 20,000 customers in communities saddling the Kern County-San Bernardino County line in the Mojave Desert and prompting travel advisories to motorists bound for Las Vegas.
In the Mojave Desert communities of Inyokern, Ridgecrest, Red Mountain and Randsburg, high winds and a rain-and-lightning front caused an outage about 2 p.m., Southern California Edison Co. spokesman Steve Hanson said. Power was restored to most customers by 3:45 p.m.
The National Weather Service said the high winds were caused by the desert rain system colliding with a stationary high-pressure system south of Las Vegas. Forecasters expected the winds, which reached 25 m.p.h. in downtown Los Angeles, to decrease by tonight.
Thursday’s high at the Civic Center was 70 degrees, with an overnight low of 59. The relative humidity downtown ranged from 22% to 86%.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
