Big Winds Inconvenience Some but Delight Others; No Major Damage Caused

Gale-force winds swept through the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys Saturday, causing minor damage and inconveniencing some people--but delighting others.

The Santa Ana winds toppled trees in the Chatsworth and Northridge areas, blew the camper unit off the back of a moving pickup truck in Canyon Country and sent tumbleweeds the size of sedans rolling across the Antelope Valley Freeway.

The heaviest recorded winds in the area were 39 m.p.h. in Northridge and Van Nuys on Saturday afternoon, according to WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information to the Los Angeles Times.

Castaic Lake officials reported some gusts there exceeded 40 m.p.h., although the average wind speed was 25 to 30 m.p.h.

The Santa Anas, caused by a high-pressure system over Utah, began blowing in from the north and northeast late Friday and were expected to taper off today, WeatherData meteorologist Stephen Burback said.

Sam and Gaye Shaffer of Burbank were traveling along the Antelope Valley Freeway near Sand Canyon Road on their way to Bullhead City, Ariz., at about 9:30 a.m. when gusts tore the 11-foot camper unit off their truck.

The camper flipped over the front of their truck and landed about 50 feet away, California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Read said.

Their dog, Honey, usually rides in the camper on long trips, but this time rode up front with the Shaffers.

“That was scary. I’ll never let the dog or anyone ride in the back of the camper again,” Sam Shaffer said.

The winds, which also raced through neighboring Ventura County, knocked down trees in the San Fernando Valley but spared power lines.

Among the victims, however, was a 20-foot-tall tree in the back yard of Don Rodgers of Northridge.

“It damaged my fence and took me a couple of hours to clean it all up,” said Rodgers, who lives on Needles Street near Corbin Avenue.

The winds discouraged golfers and pilots, and golf courses and local airports reported sparse turnouts Saturday.

But some folks enjoyed the wind.

“The lake has a lot of sailboats out there and they’re having a great time with these winds,” said Charles Graham, manager of Castaic Lake.

Lifeguards discouraged shallow boats, such as speedboats that skim across the water.

But, Graham added, “sailboats are made for this.”