LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Another round of gusty winds will descend on the Southland Wednesday and continue into Thursday, with a potentially stronger Santa Ana wind event possible starting as early as Friday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, northerly winds will develop across the region sometime Wednesday afternoon, creating gusty conditions in the mountains and traditionally wind-prone north-south corridors. The winds will then strengthen and expand, moving into the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains and western Los Angeles County coastal areas.
“Wind gusts in the 35-50 mph range will be common and a few areas may see localized damaging wind gusts to 60 mph such as I-5 corridor, Highway 33 corridor in the Ventura mountains, western Antelope Valley foothills, and eastern Santa Ynez range, especially near Montecito Hills,” according to the NWS. “… The orientation of these winds will likely create travel hazards across major freeways, as well as airport delays at LAX and possibly Burbank Airport. Winds will decrease through Thursday evening before another ramp up Friday.”
A wind advisory will be in place from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday in the Antelope Valley and Antelope Valley foothills, with gusts of up to 50 mph possible, forecasters said. A similar advisory will be in place from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, Calabasas and Agoura Hills, where winds could hit 45 mph.
A less severe high wind watch will be in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning in the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway corridor, along with the Malibu coast and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, where gusts topping 60 mph are possible.
The unsettled weather will also significantly lower temperatures in mountain areas, with the snow level falling to about 4,000 feet, meaning a 10% to 20% chance of light snow over the Grapevine on Thursday morning.
Much of the region will have temperatures in the 60s, while valley and coastal areas could be in the low to mid 70s.
A “moderate to strong” Santa Ana event is expected to move in Friday morning, with winds gusting in the 35 to 50 mph range in traditional wind corridors.
“There is a 40% chance for damaging wind gusts (60-70 mph) across the Western San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, I-5 Corridor, and Antelope Valley foothills, and a 20% chance for valleys and coasts,” according to the NWS. “Some impacts may include downed trees and power outages and hazardous travel conditions due to crosswinds, especially for higher profile vehicles. After peaking in strength on Saturday, Santa Anas on Sunday will likely be similar in magnitude and coverage to Friday’s event. Even weaker Santa Anas will occur Monday morning.”
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