Subsiding winds clear the way for massive clean up effort

Winds on the scale seen Wednesday night failed to materialize overnight Thursday, but officials warned that unstable air masses could still produce dangerous wind gusts through the weekend.

High wind advisories remained in effect this morning, although the National Weather Service said those warnings could be downgraded. Officials warned that even moderate Santa Ana winds today could still topple weakened trees and bring down power lines.

Schools in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge and other east valley cities remained closed today as crews worked to restore power to thousands of customers.

As of 6 a.m., 146,000 Southern California Edison customers, including large parts of La Cañada Flintridge, were without power, according to the utility’s Twitter account.

Some 1,500 customers of Pasadena Water and Power were without power late Thursday, though “I know that number is a lot lower this morning,” said Pasadena Police Lt. Rodney Wallace. Utility officials were not available early Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Power had been restored to most customers in Glendale as of early Friday.

The relatively quiet night was a small measure of relief for property owners and city crews who will be left with days of heavy clean up work.

Dozens of felled trees mean many parks in Burbank and Glendale remain dangerous, and in Pasadena, which bore the brunt of the winds, work has resumed on clearing extensive damage citywide.

Glendale police cautioned the public against falling victim to scams during the heavy clean up period, advising property owners to use contractors they know and to avoid giving cash deposits for work.

ALSO:

High winds: Massive cleanup effort begins as gusts weaken

-- Jason Wells and Megan O’Neil, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells

Photo: Juan Mendoza of Great Image Construction cleans up House on 2600 block of Deodar In Pasadena on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Credit: Raul Roa/Staff Photographer