Strong Winds Topple Billboard, Trees, Power Lines Across San Fernando Valley
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Strong winds swept through the San Fernando Valley Friday night and Saturday, reaching gusts of up to 60 mph, the National Weather Service reported.
It was enough to down trees, power lines and a large billboard when winds picked up around 2 a.m.
Crews restored power by 1 p.m. Saturday to 33,576 customers in the San Fernando Valley, which still left 20,572 others without electricity, according to the Department of Water and Power. By 6 p.m., 15,000 customers were still in the dark. They say crews will work until all power is reinstated.
Residents affected by the outage were located in the central portion of the Valley, south of Nordhoff Street and north of the 101 Freeway, stretching from Winnetka to the Burbank Airport.
A tree toppled onto a house in Van Nuys, the branches slicing through the roof and extending into the kitchen. No one was injured.
Firefighters were sent to several reports of fallen power lines across the Valley.
The wind pried a large billboard off its foundation in the 6000 block of Lankershim Boulevard in Burbank.
At 9:45 a.m., the NWS reported wind gusts reaching 69 mph on a mountain north of Malibu, 66 mph at Agoura Hills, 46 mph at Saugus and 44 mph at the Van Nuys Airport.
Other peak gusts in the mountains Saturday included 73 mph at Mount Wilson, 58 mph at Mill Creek above Tujunga, and 58 mph at Boney Mountain, southwest of Westlake Village.
NWS issued a wind advisory through 10 p.m. Saturday.
Meanwhile, Valley residents have been advised to secure loose outdoor furniture and to be vigilant while driving.
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