Hurricane-Force Winds Topple Trees, Power Lines

Hurricane-force winds whipped through areas of Southern California mountains and foothill communities Friday, felling trees, knocking down power lines and scattering outdoor Christmas decorations. More winds are expected this morning.

Gusts up to 77 mph were reported on 4,100-foot Whitaker Peak near Castaic Lake, and gusts in excess of 73 mph--the threshold for hurricane-force winds--were measured in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The winds snapped a tall pole supporting safety netting at a Chatsworth golf driving range. Fearing the gusts might break other poles and fling steel debris into neighboring businesses, officials evacuated about 250 workers from the area for about an hour at 10:30 a.m.

Trees and large branches toppled in at least 100 locations in the San Fernando Valley, and a 60-foot eucalyptus crashed into a wall at the Los Angeles County sheriff’s station in Santa Clarita.

Sunshine Canyon Landfill was closed after complaints of blowing dust in adjacent neighborhoods.

Power outages were reported in Encino, Woodland Hills, Malibu and Pacific Palisades. In Santa Barbara County, 6,000 Southern California Edison customers lost electricity.

The Santa Ana winds, spinning clockwise around a high pressure weather cell centered over Nevada, followed a fast-moving frontal system that dropped light snow in the San Gabriel Mountains near Gorman on Thursday night. It was some of the first snow of the season in Los Angeles County.

The gusty blasts were expected to drive the wind-chill factor down to zero before dawn today in parts of the Tehachapi, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

Stacey Johnstone, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said high winds are expected this morning.