Gusty winds will lash away in areas of the Southland Wednesday, forecasters said.
A wind advisory signifying winds or gusts of at least 35 miles per hour will be in effect until midnight in the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.
The wind will slacken slightly Wednesday morning but regain strength this afternoon and evening, according to a National Weather Service statement.
Northwest-to-north winds of between 15 and 25 miles per hour will develop in the Santa Clarita Valley Wednesday afternoon, gusting to 40 mph.
Stronger winds — 20 to 30 mph — are expected in the San Gabriels and the Antelope Valley, with gusts of 50 mph in the mountains and 45 mph in the Antelope Valley, the NWS said.
Forecasters said the wind would make driving challenging on Interstate 5, the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, state Route 138 and Angeles Crest Highway, with blowing sand and dust reducing visibility and high-profile vehicles getting battered by crosswinds.
The NWS forecast cloudy skies in L.A. County and highs of 58 degrees Fahrenheit on Mount Wilson; 63 in Avalon; 67 at LAX; 68 in Saugus; 69 in Long Beach and Burbank; 70 in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Palmdale and Lancaster; 71 in Downtown L.A.; and 73 in Woodland Hills.
Partly cloudy skies were forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 64 in Newport Beach; 65 in San Clemente; 66 in Laguna Beach; 69 in Mission Viejo; 70 in Anaheim, Irvine and Yorba Linda; and 71 in Fullerton.
Temperatures will be up to 18 degrees higher in Los Angeles County under sunny skies Thursday and up to nine degrees higher, also under sunny skies, in Orange County. Temperatures will again rise sharply Friday, reaching 83 in downtown L.A. and 91 in Woodland Hills.