Long Beach saw the peak of the Santa Ana winds throughout Thursday with “moderate to strong” wind speeds up to 20 to 30 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles.
For the rest of the week, winds will gradually diminish into a breezy weekend with mostly clear skies.
Gusts are expected to weaken later into the evening Thursday, then slightly pick back up Friday morning with speeds up to 20 mph. Long Beach will see temperature highs of around 70 degrees from now through Wednesday next week.
The Santa Ana winds pose much more of a danger in more inland areas, with winds up to 80 mph in the mountains of LA County, according to Rich Thompson, meteorologist for the NWS in LA.
This could create hazardous driving conditions and possible damage to power lines that could cause outages, said the NWS.
For those commuting or traveling, the NWS in LA recommends the following for driving in areas with strong winds:
- Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles, such as semi trucks.
- Keep a firm grip on the wheel with both hands.
- Look out for fallen and falling trees, powerlines and debris.
- Be especially careful on bridges and overpasses.