FAST, HOWLING STORM FORECAST FOR SOUTHLAND WINDS `STRONGEST OF DECADE'.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer A fierce storm is expected to bring heavy rain, high surf and hurricane- force winds to Southern California today in ``a once-in-a-decade'' event, weather forecasters said Tuesday. The fast-moving storm threatens to dump up to an inch of rain, followed by Santa Ana winds Santa Ana Winds may refer to: 1. Santa Ana wind, a local Southern California reference to Föhn winds, a meteorological phenomenon occurring as a layer of wind is forced over a mountain range -- drying the air -- which then passes over the crest and begins to move downslope -- howling through the mountains at up to 90 mph. Gusts are expected to reach 60 mph in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. High-wind and flash-flood watches are in effect through Friday morning, along with a high-surf advisory. ``It'll definitely be one of the strongest windstorms in recent memory -- the strongest of the decade,'' said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. ``Trade your rain jacket for your windbreaker.'' The vigorous storm system is expected to sweep across Southern California with a 70 percent chance of rain by daybreak and heavy winds by midafternoon. The rains are expected to fall within three to six hours, with a likelihood of flash floods and mudslides in recent burn areas. The heaviest rains are expected in San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. and Santa Barbara
counties.
The storm is expected to bring moisture to a region largely devoid of rain -- 1.1 inches in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or since July 1, an inch below normal. But weather experts were loath to attribute the storm to a weak El NiIllegal 'X-value' for character STYLs voided here o system that has brought little rainfall to parched parch v. parched, parch·ing, parch·es v.tr. 1. To make extremely dry, especially by exposure to heat: The midsummer sun parched the earth. Los Angeles County. ``Right now, it's extremely crispy in the Southland,'' said Bill Patzert, a climatologist cli·ma·tol·o·gy n. The meteorological study of climates and their phenomena. cli  ma·to·log with the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory “JPL” redirects here. For other uses, see JPL (disambiguation).Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a NASA research center located in the cities of Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, near Los Angeles, California, USA. in La CaIllegal 'X-value' for character STYLs voided here ada Flintridge. ``What we'd really like to see is a weeklong soaker and a good jump- start on our snowpack snow·pack n. An area of naturally formed, packed snow that usually melts during the warmer months. snowpack 1. . But this storm looks like In-N-Out Burger.'' Snow levels are expected to begin at 6,500 feet, falling to 4,500 feet by the afternoon, with up to 3 inches of powder. The snow could potentially hinder traffic on the Grapevine along Interstate 5 and Highway 14 through Soledad Pass, according to the NWS NWS National Weather Service NWS Naval Weapons Station NWS New World Symphony NWS Nuclear Weapon State NWS Not Work Safe NWS National Watercolor Society NWS North Warning System NWS Nose Wheel Steering NWS National Waste Strategy (UK) . But it is the wind that worries weather forecasters and fire officials mindful of a recent wildfire north of Moorpark driven by 70 mph winds. A high-wind watch from 2 p.m. today through Friday morning calls for wind gusts between 80 mph and 90 mph in local mountain passes, Meier said. As cold northwest winds turn to warmer northeasterlies, winds in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys are expected to kick up to between 25 and 40 mph, with gusts as strong as 60 mph. The wind threshold for hurricanes is 74 mph. Blowing dust and sand in the Antelope Valley are expected to reduce visibility at times to near zero. Gale winds are expected along the coast, with surf up to 15 feet in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, surf could crest up to 9 feet on west-facing beaches, with a high potential for rip currents all along the coast. Fire and weather officials are asking residents in high-wind areas to close all windows, secure potential outdoor hazards, such as lawn or patio furniture, and watch out for wind-blown power lines and debris. The Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. will likely add more firefighters near fire-prone regions along the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south from Santa Clara River Valley to the north and . ``We ask people in hazardous brush areas to be especially vigilant,'' Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. ``Strong winds will compound wildfire danger, so we ask all residents to use extreme caution with all flame- and spark-producing equipment.'' dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 |
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