Santa Ana Winds: See The 10 Fastest Wind Speeds In SoCal Monday

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CA — Powerful Santa Ana winds whipped up so much ash and debris Monday, that the National Weather Service was warning Southern California residents not to leave home without sunglasses, a hat or maybe even a helmet, the agency tweeted.

The state experienced the worst wind event of the year Monday and Southern California saw gusts of up to 96 mph.

It was raining ash and debris in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Orange County, as winds carried particles from older fires still smoldering and new fires igniting in Orange County.

A dangerous combination of low humidity, dry vegetation and some of the fastest wind speeds recorded this year created the most critical fire weather observed since last October.

And those conditions sparked several fires across Southern California Monday, one of which, the Silverado Fire, had already scorched more than 7,000 acres and forced 70,000 Orange County Residents evacuations by Monday evening.

Fire officials geared up for the massive wind event over the weekend, and warned Californians that any fires ignited in this windy weather, would likely gallop.

The fastest gusts were both clocked at 96 mph along the Magic Mountain Truck Trail and in the San Gabriel Mountains south of Santa Clarita Monday morning, according to NWS.

Fremont Canyon saw gusts blowing up to 88 mph while gusts of 50-70 mph blew through inland areas of Orange County, Los Angeles and Riverside. Areas of the Malibu Hills and Malibu Ranch saw gusts of 65 mph.

The CSU San Bernardino campus even saw gusts of up to 78 mph.

Such powerful gusts were dangerous for aviation agencies across Southern California Monday the wind event grounded all flights out of Ontario Airport Monday.

According to the airport's flight status webpage, arrivals were being diverted or delayed and departures are canceled or delayed.

Even air resources for fire crews in Orange County were forced to remain on land for several hours.

A wind advisory was scheduled to be in effect from 11 p.m. Sunday through noon Tuesday, and a red flag warning was in effect through Tuesday as well, with the high winds and low humidity combining for elevated fire danger despite relatively seasonal temperatures.

Here are the 10 fastest wind gusts recorded across SoCal on Monday, Oct. 26

1. Magic Mountain Truck Trail - 96 mph

2. San Gabriel Mountains South of Santa Clarita

3. Fremont Canyon - 88 mph

4. Deer Canyon - 84 mph

5. Chilao RAWS - 79 mph

6. Chino Hills - 78 mph

7. CSU San Bernardino - 78 mph

8. Devil Canyon - 74 mph

9. Rancho Cucamonga - 73 mph

10. Ontario Airport - 70 mph

Windy conditions were expected to persist through Tuesday in most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but the most damaging gusts were expected Monday.

"The combination of a strong offshore pressure gradient, strong upper level wind support, and significant cold air advection is producing the strongest Santa Ana wind event we have seen so far this season, with the most dangerous fire weather conditions we have seen since October 2019," according to the National Weather Service.

Concerns about wildfires prompted Southern California Edison to shut off power to hundreds of customers in Los Angeles and Orange counties in a precautionary move to prevent any electrical equipment from sparking blazes.

SEE ALSO: CA Wildfires Erupt As Worst Wind Event Of 2020 Strikes

As of midday, nearly 1,800 SCE customers in Los Angeles County had lost power due to the precautionary measures, primarily in the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley areas. More than 400 Orange County customers were also affected.

Overall, SCE as of midday was reporting more than 14,000 Los Angeles County customers without power amid the wind event, and nearly 8,000 in Orange County. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was also responding to power outages across the city, including the Brentwood, Hollywood and Rancho Park areas.

San Diego Gas & Electric also notified about 21,480 residents over the weekend that it may have to shut off power Monday and Tuesday. Around 10 a.m., the utility shut off power for 2,743 customers in Fallbrook.

Another 18,738 customers in the areas of Camp Pendleton, East San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside and Pala Reservation could have their power shut off at some point Monday and Tuesday, according to SDG&E.

According to Southern California Edison, one of the largest outages was in Jurupa Valley, where damaged lines caused a blackout impacting 1,451 customers in the predawn hours. Technicians were still working to make repairs as of 10:30 a.m.

In Rancho Mirage, nearly 1,000 SCE customers lost service Monday morning due to an equipment failure that was likely wind-related.

Windy conditions were expected to last through Tuesday in most of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Ventura counties, with the most damaging gusts expected Monday.

In addition to fire danger, strong Santa Ana winds also lead to other dangers. If you're outside, be aware of any debris, leaves, and dust that may be flying around. Wearing sunglasses and a hat (or helmet!) will protect your eyes and head from debris! #CAwx #LAwind
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) October 26, 2020