Powerful winds wreak havoc throughout Southern California

Latest storm blankets the Grapevine in snow

Veronica Rocha and Hailey Branson-PottsContact Reporters
Powerful winds continued to sweep through Southern California on Monday, topplin
g trees and causing widespread power outages.
The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services received 545 emergency requests for tr
ee-related services from Saturday through Monday morning, said Paul Gomez, a spo
kesman for the city s public works department.
That s definitely more than normal,

Gomez said.

A woman was rescued Monday in Burbank after being pinned by a large pine tree
at fell at Clybourne Avenue and Sarah Street, said Capt. Peter Hendrickson, a
okesman for the Burbank Fire Department. At 10:43 a.m., the woman was walking
the store when she heard a loud noise; she tried to run but was pinned down,
ndrickson said.

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Strong winds sweep across Southland

Wind gusts topped 61 mph in Beverly Hills, 40 mph in Venice and 80 mph in Angele
s National Forest on Sunday and continued to be strong on Monday morning.
Burbank and Los Angeles firefighters cut through branches to reach her, and she
was taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries, Hendrickson said.
In Jefferson Park in South Los Angeles, firefighters had to use chainsaws to rem
ove a tree that fell on a vehicle, fortunately with no injuries, said Erick Scott,
a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. During heavy winds, he said, p
eople should be always be aware of their surroundings and be especially cautious
of fallen power lines and trees that might have brought down power lines with t
hem.
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On Monday morning, wind gusts topped 75 mph at Whitaker Peak north of Castaic al
ong the 5 Freeway, 51 mph at the Long Beach Airport, 44 mph in Beverly Hills and
36 mph at the Santa Barbara airport, the National Weather Service reported.
The strong gusts at ground level were accompanied by strong upper-level winds at
15,000 to 30,000 feet, said Emily Thornton, a meteorologist with the National W
eather Service in Oxnard. The heavy winds were expected to peter out by Tuesday
morning, ahead of a week of warmer temperatures and dry weather, she said.
Powerful storm moves into Southern California
Powerful winds challenged Los Angeles firefighters battling a massive early-morn
ing blaze at Columbia Plastic, a commercial facility in the 3000 block of North
Fierro Street in Glassell Park, officials said. Gusts up to 25 mph fueled the fl
ames and swayed firefighters hose streams, according to the LAFD. It took firefig
hters more than an hour to extinguish the blaze.
A portion of the 5 Freeway near Grapevine Road near Lebec was briefly closed Mon
day morning after wind and snow cut visibility for drivers, according to the Cal
ifornia Highway Patrol.
Drivers were diverted from Parker Road to the southbound 5 Freeway as snow stuck
to the ground. The CHP escorted about 200 vehicles at a time on the freeway in
both directions. The CHP warned traffic would be slow.
Southern California Edison crews were working Monday to restore power to approxi
mately 28,000 customers because of the winds, as well as Sunday s storms.

A rainstorm Sunday brought up to 70 mph winds and led to widespread power outage
s. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power restored power to 51,000 customers
overnight. At least 12,000 customers remained without power Monday morning.
In San Diego, powerful winds knocked a massive tree onto a car in Pacific Beach,
killing a woman inside.
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Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties got the most rain. Camp Hi Hill in
Los Angeles County got 4.46 inches of rain and Nordhoff Ridge in Ventura County
received 3.98 inches.
By Monday, the rain had moved east toward Arizona, and snow flurries developed a
t the Grapevine. Three to 5 inches of snow could blanket north-facing foothills
in the Antelope Valley, with some mountains getting up to 8 inches.
Forecasters warned dangerous driving conditions would continue along mountain ro
ads.
Along the coast, forecasters advised boaters to not venture out as strong 50 mph
winds sweep over the ocean and produce hazardous conditions.