Powerful winds took down several trees and power lines in Southern California Friday as a strong Santa Ana event whipped the region.
High wind warnings, with gusts at 20 to 30 mph, are in effect almost everywhere in Southern California through Saturday, said NBC4 Forecaster Fritz Coleman. More wind-prone areas such as the mountains, canyons and passes could see gusts up to 70 mph.
The winds took down three trees in Orange County early Friday. A 50-foot eucalyptus blocked lanes of the northbound 405 Freeway in Irvine and was quickly removed by California Highway Patrol Officers. Another tree was knocked down in front of a house in Westminster, taking a power line down with it.
High surf advisories were issued for the coastal regions. A large, long period of westerly swell will continue to move across the waters and bring surf of five to eight feet.
There may be another storm chance for Wednesday, Coleman said.
Westbound Irvine Blvd @ Jamboree reduced to 1 lane #timber #wind #treedown pic.twitter.com/3uWo5eJZja
— Tustin PD (@TustinPolice) January 27, 2017
