November Blows Out With High Winds, Downed Lines

November left in a huff Saturday, its high winds and low temperatures marring the enjoyment of a picturesque snowfall in the mountains and gnarly surf along the coast.

California Department of Transportation workers were called to the mountain roads to dump sand down icy stretches, which caused several minor fender-bender accidents along Sunrise Highway.

Winds that blew tree branches into power lines in Del Cerro in eastern San Diego were blamed for a blackout of less than two hours to about 5,000 households at mid-day Saturday.

High winds in the desert and mountain passes also made freeway driving a challenge for high-profile vehicles and buffeted cars throughout the region. But the winds were welcomed by windsurfers, who crowded the waters of Mission Bay Park.

Rainfall overnight dampened many of the fire-danger areas and caused the California Department of Forestry to lower its red alert flags signaling high fire danger Saturday despite winds gusting up to 35 m.p.h. and low humidity readings.

Fallbrook reported 0.58 of an inch of rainfall Saturday. Julian received 0.48 of an inch of rain mixed with snow and Mt. Laguna reported about 4 inches of snow on the ground Saturday. Smaller amounts of rainfall were recorded countywide.

Although no more precipitation is expected today, temperatures will dip into the teens in the mountains and into the 20s in protected inland valleys, where frost warnings have been issued.

Continued high winds, low humidity and low temperatures are forecast for today.