Damaging winds hit Southern Calif. again

Strong, damaging winds struck Southern California Friday, but they'll be weaker than the blows that battered the area two weeks ago, forecasters said. Strong, gusty northeast and easterly Santa Ana winds of 30 mph to 40 mph, began overnight, after isolated thunderstorms late Thursday. The tough winds will likely continue through Saturday afternoon in most areas, the National Weather Service said. A high-wind warning was in effect in much of the region from 3 a.m. PST Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday, with damaging gusts as high as 70 mph in the Santa Clarita Valley stretching through Los Angeles and Ventura counties and nearby mountain ranges, including the Santa Monica Mountains, the service said.San Diego's high-wind warning was in effect from 10 p.m. Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday. Gusts as high as 65 mph were possible in the San Bernardino and Santa Ana mountains and the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, known as the Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, the weather service said. Trees are likely to fall or lose branches, striking power lines, the weather service in Los Angeles said. High-profile vehicles face hazardous driving conditions, especially on east-west highways, the service said. Airlines advised passengers to call ahead due to possible flight delays.The winds will create "elevated" conditions for fire danger, the weather service said.Wind gusts could be in the 35 mph range by Saturday, easing further in the afternoon.The winds stem from a "vigorous low-pressure system" moving through Southern California into northwest Mexico, the weather service said. Parts of the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles and north of the Inland Empire, were still recovering from a brutal Nov. 30 storm that brought winds reaching speeds as high as 97 mph. Dangerously high winds returned to Southern California Dec. 5.The desert Santa Ana winds, notorious for fanning regional wildfires, annually push their way west through Southern California and northern Baja California in late fall and winter.