VENTURA : Storm Brings Gusty Winds, Boat Advisory

Boaters were urged to take caution in the Santa Barbara Channel and city crews in Ventura kept busy cleaning up tree parts Christmas Day as a strong windstorm swept across Ventura County.

The Coast Guard issued a small-craft advisory for the channel after gusts reaching up to 20 mph persisted for a second day. The warning is expected to remain in effect through today, a Coast Guard official said.

Forecasters said clear skies and warmer temperatures are expected to return today, with the mercury rising to the low- to mid-60s. Light showers predicted for Monday did not materialize because the dry winds caused any moisture in the air to evaporate, said Clay Morgan, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

A coastal high-pressure system that caused the winds is expected to begin breaking up today, he said.

Holiday travelers on Monday had to deal with strong gusts that lasted through midafternoon. In Ventura, tree branches and palm fronds littered roadways along Harbor Boulevard near California Street and on hillside Vista del Mar, but were cleared away by city workers. Power was briefly interrupted to 3,000 homes in the Ondulando area of Ventura, but outages for the most part were rare, said Mike Montoya, a spokesman for Southern California Edison.

In Thousand Oaks, a wind-whipped palm frond slapped a power line, triggering sparks and a report of a small fire. No power outages were reported, Ventura County fire officials said.

Authorities said there were no reports of wind damage in other parts of the county.