Wind, Power Shutoffs Possible Across Rancho Santa Margarita

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Summer-like weather came to a crashing halt Tuesday as the windy weather returned to the Orange County coastline. Inland, "damaging" winds were expected to arrive across the Southland, bringing powerful gusts and increased fire danger to parts of the region.

Officials warned of possible power outages, and calls for residents to be prepared to evacuate should brush fires erupt.

According to the National Weather Service, a high wind warning will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday for Orange County coastal areas. Nearly 11,600 customers in Orange County could go without power due to Southern California Edison's possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

The high winds often prompt Southern California Edison to issue Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Electricity is turned off for customers in wind-prone areas to prevent the possibility of downed power lines sparking wildfires.

Find out if your address will retain power during this wind event on the utility's PSPS website: www.sce.com/wildfire/psps.

"A strong and widespread damaging wind event is expected to impact a large portion of Southwest California tonight through Wednesday morning, with the peak of the wind event Tuesday into Tuesday night," the National Weather Service said.

A red flag warning was in effect through 10 p.m. Tuesday for Inland Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains, and the Cleveland National Forest, forecasters said. The Santa Ana Mountains' foothill areas could see isolated wind gusts of 70 mph during this event.

"There will be an increased risk of fire ignitions due to downed trees and power lines, along with a threat of rapid-fire spread and extreme fire behavior," according to the NWS.

At the coast, Orange County coastal towns such as Laguna Beach, San Clemente, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, and points in between will see waves and Surf from 3 to 5 feet, with sets to 7 feet through 5 p.m. Tuesday. The highest surf was early Tuesday morning, and wave heights decreased throughout the day.

"Dangerous swimming conditions and strong rip currents are expected," an NWS spokesperson said. Strong rip currents, elevated surf heights, and minor tidal overflow were possible at local beaches. All posted warning signs and flags should be followed, and as ever, talk to a lifeguard before swimming. Use caution when in or near the water and always swim near a lifeguard.

This week's temperatures are markedly different from the weekend when some high-temperature records were set in the Southland. Anaheim saw temperatures of 82 on Saturday, Jan. 16, and Downtown Los Angeles set a new record with a high of 88 on Saturday, breaking the old record of 86 set in 1976. On Tuesday, temperatures dropped across the Southland, and humidity levels should remain above 15% in most areas, though fire danger will still be high.

A red flag warning will also be in effect during the same hours in the Los Angeles County coastal and mountain regions and the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys."Damaging wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph are expected across portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties during the peak, as well as the higher elevations of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties."

The Los Angeles County and city fire departments were gearing up for the wind event, pre-deploying resources. The Los Angeles Fire Department has three task forces stationed in the valleys, while the county fire department ordered "additional staffing and pre-deployment of resources throughout the county."

Red flag parking restrictions will be in effect starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday within Los Angeles city limits. The restrictions bar residents from parking on streets in high fire-hazard zones to ensure fire crews can access hard-to-reach areas.

The county's Office of Emergency Management issued a statement Monday saying the agency will be on "high alert" due to the wind and fire conditions. The agency's director, Kevin McGowan, urged residents to be prepared for dangerous conditions.

"Our emergency response officials are world-class and will stand ready to defend lives and property," he said. "But, we need collaboration from all residents who live in L.A. County to stay safe as a region. We must all do our part by staying informed and being ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, especially if you live in the canyon, mountain, or foothill communities."

He urged residents to have an evacuation plan in place and be prepared by taking steps such as parking vehicles facing the street and on driveways —not in garages that may not be accessible if electric garage-door openers become inoperable in an outage.

Residents were urged to identify which communication system is used by their local law enforcement agency for their neighborhood, workplace, and other places that family members frequent. They were also urged to watch local newscasts and have a battery-operated radio handy to access news if the power goes out.

More preparedness tips are available at ready.lacounty.gov or by following @ReadyLACounty on Twitter or dialing 2-1-1.

Power shut-offs occurred early Tuesday in Los Angeles County. A total of 15,424 SCE customers in Los Angeles County had their power shut off, while more than 70,000 customers in the county were under consideration for outages.

The strong winds will be accompanied by a significant drop in temperatures, with highs in the 60s and lower 70s on Tuesday in greater Los Angeles and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, but only reaching the upper 50s in the Santa Clarita Valley and the upper 40s and 50s in the mountains and the Antelope Valley.

A cold weather alert was issued for the Antelope Valley through Friday and for the L.A. County mountains on Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said below-freezing temperatures were expected in those areas overnight and warned that "children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don't get too cold when they are outside."

Residents were also warned not to leave pets outside at night.

A high-surf advisory in effect at Los Angeles County beaches through 10 p.m. Tuesday.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.