Wind Knocks Out Power to Thousands

Wind gusts of 60 miles per hour toppled trees, power lines and at least one large billboard in the San Fernando Valley today.

A National Weather Service gauge at Camp Nine, in the mountains above Sylmar, took a 79 mile per hour gust from the north at 4:55 a.m., the agency said. In the Valley itself, a 60 mph gust was observed at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

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About 22,300 customer accounts were without electrical power in the Valley as of 10 a.m., Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Terry Schneider told City News Service. The number of outages was going up and down as crews repaired wind damage.

Strong winds began downing lines and splitting trees at about 2 a.m. Wind gusts topped 44 miles per hour at the Burbank Airport.

Outage affected the central part of the Valley, generally south of Nordhoff Street and north of the Ventura (101) Freeway, from Winnetka east through Van Nuys to Panorama City and the Burbank Airport.

“We just our customers to know we’re on it,” Schneider said.

Los Angeles firefighters were sent to numerous downed power line problems.

There was an unconfirmed report of a an entire block-long length of high voltage lines knocked down along Lankershim Boulevard, near Vineyard Avenue and Camarillo Street. At least one billboard may have blown down near there as well.

Metro officials reported downed trees along the east-west Orange Line were delaying express bus service west of the San Diego (405) Freeway.

At 9:45 a.m., peak wind gusts reported on National Weather Service- affiliated backyard stations included 69 miles per hour 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 today included 73 mph at Mount Wilson, 58 mph at Mill Creek above Tujunga, and 58 mph at Boney Mountain, southwest of Westlake Village.

• City News Service