O.C. Finds Windy Weather a Breeze

Strong gusts slapped much of Southern California on Monday--but not Orange County, where winds barely mussed the tops of palm trees or kicked up debris.

In canyons and passes, where gusts can top 120 mph, winds drove slower than the speed limits of many residential streets.

“We’ve had reports of problems in areas around Orange County and in other places like Antelope Valley, the desert in Barstow, Palm Springs and Thousand Oaks, Monrovia--but no significant reports from Orange County,” said Steve Hansen, a spokesman for Southern California Edison. “It’s a little unusual. Usually the Santa Anas come roaring through the passes.”

Although there were scattered reports of power outages in north San Diego County, there were none in south Orange County, an official for the San Diego Gas and Electric Co. said.

Because of the recent rains, the dry weather didn’t cause the kind of tinderbox conditions that often lead to brush fires, Orange County Fire Capt. Paul Hunter said.

“The effects of this wind system aren’t reaching too far into the west,” said Stacey Johnstone, a meteorologist at WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

This was in sharp contrast to other parts of Southern California and the southwest U.S. The cool winds, generated by the combined forces of two vast weather systems--one over New Mexico and the other over Idaho--struck first in Las Vegas, toppling a 90-ton crane being used to erect a roller coaster at the Sahara Hotel.

The Los Angeles County sheriff’s office in Palmdale received calls all day from blacked-out residents and motorists buffeted by the gusts. Two brief outages left the station without power.

Issuing advisories warning of “the potential for very strong and possibly damaging winds” through Tuesday morning, forecasters said it should stay breezy through Wednesday afternoon, not calming down entirely until sometime Thursday, Johnstone said.

Times staff writers Eric Malnic and Zanto Peabody contributed to this report.

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Winds With Gusto

Strong gusts buffeted much of Southern California on Monday. How Orange County fared:

Bell Canyon Winds in mph:

Peak gust: 109 mph

Top average speed: 50mph

Sources: National Weather Service, California Department of Water Resources, KNBC 4 WeatherNet

Graphics Reporting by BRADY MacDONALD / Los Angeles Times