Image courtesy Mr DSW via Flickr Creative Commons

Last week, residents of Southern California, including Los Angeles, saw ferocious winds whip through the area, leaving many homes and businesses without power and millions of dollars in damages. Powerful winds were even reported in Las Vegas and other areas of the southwest. The winds returned on Monday, December 5, continuing its path of destruction throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The winds are actually the Santa Ana winds, which occur every several years. According to CNN, it’s “a condition in which strong winds descend to the Pacific Coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions.” The National Weather Service said the winds swept through the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains, as well as the Santa Clarita Valley and Santa Monica Mountains. However, winds over 140mph – the same as a category 4 hurricane – were reported on the Sierra Crest Mountain ridge, making them the “strongest easterly wind event in the past several years.”

Lower laying lands, such as Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia, saw the most damage. Michael Antonovich, the Los Angeles County Supervisor, even issued a state of emergency in the area. The statement is meant “to ensure that state and federal financial resources are available to serve county residents impacted by the windstorms.” At least 1,500 Southern California Edison customers were still without power as the company worked rapidly to restore power and fix power lines.

The winds have now died down, but workers are still working to clear roads for those traveling by car, as many trees and large branches were scattered across roadways. When winds were at their highest, even trucks and semis were forced to pull over, so as not to blow over. Though Los Angeles International Airport was without power last Wednesday for about an hour and damages were reported on the tarmac causing flight delays, the airport is back to running normally.