Santa Ana winds will sweep through the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys Tuesday and the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties amid mild temperatures, including the high 70s in Orange County.
The winds — the result of high pressure over the Great Basin, which covers most of Nevada — will peak Tuesday morning and weaken in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
A wind advisory will be in effect in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys until 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Northeast winds of between 20 and 35 miles per hour, gusting to 55 mph, will buffet mountain areas though mid-afternoon in what the NWS called a moderate Santa event.
In the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, NWS forecasters expect northeast winds of between 15 and 25 mph, gusting to 40 mph.
“Gusty winds will make driving difficult, especially for drivers of high-profile vehicles,” warned an NWS statement. “When driving, use extra caution. Be prepared for sudden gusty crosswinds.”
Temperatures, meanwhile, will continue to inch upward. The NWS forecast sunny skies Tuesday and highs of 59 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 61 on Mount Wilson; 65 in Saugus; 69 in Avalon; 71 in Newport Beach; 72 at LAX and in Laguna Beach and Burbank; 73 in downtown L.A., Pasadena and San Clemente; 74 in Long Beach and San Gabriel; 76 in Fullerton; 77 in Anaheim, Mission Viejo and Irvine; and 78 in Yorba Linda.
Temperatures, which are above normal this week — the average is normally 68 — will begin a cooling trend Saturday, when some rainfall is expected.
—City News Service