One of the most devastating and heartbreaking windstorms to ever strike the Los Angeles area will continue throughout the day Wednesday, further fanning a series of destructive wildfires that have already destroyed an untold number of homes and other structures in an unprecedented conflagration.
National Weather Service forecasters said earlier that the windstorm was likely to be the worst to hit the region since 2011, and Mother Nature did not disappoint as she delivered unrelenting winds that brought down power lines and trees across the region and drove flames in at least three major wildfires reminiscent of the raging fire that flattened the popular Lahaina resort town in Maui, Hawaii.
“Widespread damaging north to northeast winds and extreme fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday,” according to the National Weather Service. “Winds will peak through Wednesday morning. Downed trees and power lines, power outages, hazardous driving conditions, increased traffic, and airport delays are to be expected across the Southland. Any wildfires that start may spread rapidly with extreme fire behavior.”
On Tuesday night, a wind gust of 98 mph was reported in the Saddle Peak area of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, NWS officials said. A 97 mph gust was recorded in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains. Several other mountain areas recorded winds topping 80 mph.
“A very strong and potentially damaging offshore wind event will continue across the Southland through at least Wednesday, and likely into Thursday,” according to the NWS. “Wind gusts up to 89 mph have been observed this evening already and there is still time for the strongest to develop.”
Red flag warnings of critical fire danger took effect at 4 a.m. Tuesday and will remain in place until 6 p.m. Thursday for the Malibu coast, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Valley, the San Fernando Valley, Calabasas, the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Gabriel Mountains, and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors.
At noon Tuesday, the warning extended to include Los Angeles County beaches, the Palos Verdes Hills, Catalina Island and the inland Los Angeles County coast, stretching into downtown Los Angeles. The warning will continue in those areas until 4 p.m. Wednesday.
A separate red flag warning will be in place until 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Antelope Valley, Antelope Valley foothills, Catalina Island and Palos Verdes Hills.
The warnings were upgraded to “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warnings — noting extremely critical wildfire conditions — at noon Tuesday and continuing until 4 p.m. Wednesday for the San Gabriel Mountains, San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, the Hollywood HIlls, coastal areas adjacent to the Sepulveda Pass, Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains.
In Orange County, a red flag warning will be in place through 6 p.m. Thursday for the Santa Ana Mountains and inland parts of the county, including a “particularly dangerous situation” from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. Orange County coastal areas will be under a red flag warning until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Forecasters said the windstorm was the worst to hit the L.A. since a 2011 event that “did extensive damage to Pasadena and nearby foothills of the San Gabriel Valley.”
The winds began battering much of the region early Tuesday morning. In Burbank, high winds topped trees, forcing a closure of Glenoaks Boulevard between Olive and Orange Grove avenues, according to the city. Harvard Road at Sunset Canyon Road was closed going up the hillside due to tree failure.
The dangerous winds prompted closure of the Los Angeles Zoo to the public on Tuesday, and it will remain shuttered on Wednesday. Schools across the region were also closed as the winds created dangerous conditions and fires erupted in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, scorching thousands of acres of terrain.
All Malibu campuses of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will remain closed Wednesday, and district officials were still deciding whether to close Santa Monica campuses.
The Los Angeles Unified School District announced that Kenter Canyon Charter Elementary, Canyon Charter Elementary School, Marquez Charter Elementary School, Palisades Charter Elementary School, Paul Revere Charter Middle School, and Topanga Elementary Charter School would all be closed Wednesday due to wind and fire conditions.
Palisades Charter High School, which was not in session, was reported to have been heavily damaged in the Palisades Fire Tuesday.
Due to the closure of the L.A. Zoo, students in the LAUSD’s Zoo Magnet program were directed Wednesday to report to North Hollywood High School.
Students at the closed LAUSD schools will “pivot to continuity of learning” programs on Wednesday, but district officials said those schools may revert to remote learning on Thursday.
In the vicinity of the Eaton Fire burning near Altadena and Pasadena, classes were canceled Wednesday for schools in the Pasadena, Glendale, Alhambra, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada, Burbank, Arcadia and Monrovia unified school districts.
NWS officials warned residents to be prepared for the possibility of downed trees and power poles and hazardous driving conditions, particularly for big rigs and other high-profile vehicles. The winds could also result in air travel delays and turbulence. Forecasters also advised residents to stay away from windows and trees once the winds start, park cars away from trees, and to prepare for possible power outages by charging all electronic devices ahead of time and ensure generators are prepared.
As is standard during high-fire-danger conditions. Southern California Edison customers in some areas could have their power turned off under the utility’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs program. The program is designed to de- energize power lines that could potentially be damaged and spark a wildfire during red flag conditions.
As of early Wednesday morning, nearly 25,400 SCE customers in Los Angeles County had their power cut due to the program, along with 462 in Orange county. Another 120,300 customers in L.A. County were under consideration for power cuts, along with nearly more than 27,000 in Orange County.
Updated information about power cuts is available at www.sce.com/outage-center/outage-information/psps.
The city of Los Angeles imposed red flag parking restrictions at 8 a.m. Tuesday, continuing until further notice, likely for the duration of the wind event. The restrictions are designed to keep streets clear for emergency vehicles that may need to quickly access developing wildfires, and to ensure open roadways for residents who may need to evacuate. Pasadena city officials implemented similar parking restrictions.