The Santa Ana winds that tore through Southern California on Friday will slow down today — but could scatter debris and knock out power before they die down.
Winds will sweep into the Coachella Valley at a sustained 20 to 30 mph, AccuWeather.com meteorologist John Dlugoenski said.
Wind gusts could be as strong as 45 mph.
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“I don't think we'll see winds strong enough to knock down telephone poles, but it's not a minor thing, either,” Dlugoenski said.
Meteorologists did not expect winds near the strength of the Jan.21 windstorm that toppled trees and power lines across the valley.
Gusts hit 60 mph at the Palm Springs International Airport.
Those winds were unusually strong and weren't forecast, AccuWeather.com meteorologist Ken Clark said.
“Nobody expected the kind of wind that you got on Saturday. We did expect it become windy, but we didn't expect it to be that intense,” Clark said.
Even those winds — the result of a cold front confronting warm air and a strong pressure system — shouldn't be compared to a hurricane or tropical storm, though, Clark said.
“People tend to be somewhat dramatic when they talk about the weather at times and go kind of overboard,” Clark said.
The winds sweeping through today — pushed into Southern California by a high-pressure system moving through Salt Lake City — will decelerate by the afternoon, clearing the way for warm weather.
Temperatures should near 80 degrees, up from the normal high of 70 degrees.
On Friday, the winds swept through parts of Southern California, closing a state college campus as a high-pressure system brought continuing hot, dry weather and extreme fire danger.
California State University, San Bernardino, stopped classes at midmorning as a precaution, affecting some 17,000 students, spokesman Joe Gutierrez said.
“We've had wind damage in the past where it knocked down a tree or a limb,” he said.
There were no immediate reports of wind damage, but the campus weather station recorded sustained winds of 32-48 mph with gusts of 51 mph early Friday morning.
Gutierrez said students received warnings by emails, text, voicemails and Facebook messages to stay home or leave as soon as possible.
“If you're in class, stay in class, you're safer indoors. But once your class is over, leave immediately,” Gutierrez said.
The 441-acre campus sits at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains and is often swept by Santa Ana winds that roll downslope and through canyons. Some buildings have permanent windbreaks.
“The Santa Anas are always here. Always,” Gutierrez said.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning — an alert that the hot, dry conditions could be ideal for fire to spread — for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
Riverside County Fire Department staffed three extra fire engines as a precaution, though none of those are in the Coachella Valley.
The weather service also warned of high surf, reaching 8 feet in the Los Angeles area Friday night and up to 14 feet farther north.
Kate McGinty is a public safety reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at (760) 778-6451, kate.mcginty@thedesertsun.com, or @TDSKateM.
