Windy, Chilly Weather Slams Mission Viejo, Orange County

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A cold winter storm out of Canada brought snow to the San Gabriel Mountains Monday and strong winds in the mountains, along the coast, in Los Angeles and in L.A. County valleys, triggering power outages affecting thousands of locations, SoCal Edison reported. Further south in Orange County, winds died off midday Monday but were expected to return in force overnight, said National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall.

A wind advisory was underway in Orange County cities of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Fullerton, and Mission Viejo until noon Monday amid northeast winds of 15-25 mph and 50-mph gusts, according to the weather service.

Partly cloudy skies were forecast in Orange County for the remainder, along with highs of 46 on Santiago Peak; 58 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet;64 at Fremont Canyon; 66 at Trabuco Canyon; 68 in Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 69 in Newport Beach, Yorba Linda and Mission Viejo; 71 in Fullerton and Anaheim; and 72 in Irvine.

Temperatures were expected to drop progressively this week by as much as 5 degrees in some communities but less in others, Hall said.

Winds blew at a sustained 20 to 35 miles per hour and gusting to 55 mph in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys and the Santa Monica Mountains. Winds gusted 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph along the coast, in Los Angeles and in the San Gabriel Valley, according to the NWS.

"Damaging" gusts of 55-65 mph were also forecast in the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley.

The weather service said at 9:30 a.m. that powerful wind gusts swirled around the Southland in the previous six hours, including 69 mph at Henniger Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains, 61 mph at Escondido Canyon along the L.A. County coast, 59 mph in the Malibu Hills in the Santa Monica Mountains, 56 mph in the Newhall Pass in the Santa Clarita Valley, 52 at the Hollywood-Burbank Airport in the San Fernando Valley, and 50 mph in Altadena in the San Gabriel Valley.

"Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles," according to the NWS. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high-profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects."

The NWS also forecast partly cloudy skies Monday and highs of 52 on Mount Wilson; 63 in Palmdale; 64 in Lancaster; 66 in Avalon; 67 in Saugus; 70 at LAX and in Burbank; 71 in Long Beach, Pasadena and San Gabriel; and 73 in Downtown L.A. and Woodland Hills. Tuesday's temperatures will be about the same —though under sunny skies— and remain at the same level until at least Sunday.