28 replies to this topic

[trioderob]

Winds...

strong and gusty north to northeast winds will develop this evening
and continue through Friday... as strong offshore flow develops
around the northwest side of the system. Strongest winds will most
likely be in Orange County... the inland Empire and the San
Bernardino County mountains... where wind gusts could exceed 70 mph
at times... especially through and below passes and canyons. Strong
winds are also likely in the apple and Lucerne valleys.

Strong winds
are also expected in San Diego County... but will develop later than
the areas to the north. Strongest winds are expected late tonight
and Thursday... when damage to trees and power lines may occur.
Travel will be difficult... especially for high profile vehicles.

[DALION]

I live in the path of those winds and they come over the Chino Hills and drop into Yorba Linda. In 2002 we had winds of 40+ and the strongest gust hit 74. It was a real tough night since the winds started about 9pm and just got worse as the night went on. I have already moved all the potted plants I could and now it's time to wait and see what happens.

[DoomsDave]

I live in the path of those winds and they come over the Chino Hills and drop into Yorba Linda. In 2002 we had winds of 40+ and the strongest gust hit 74. It was a real tough night since the winds started about 9pm and just got worse as the night went on. I have already moved all the potted plants I could and now it's time to wait and see what happens.

How close were you to those terrible fires in your general area? Back in 2008? 2009?

[MattyB]

I feel for you guys in those santa ana wind prone areas. I'm nestled up against a steep, west facing slope, so I'm sheltered from santa anas. But I have a straight shot to the ocean with a funneling canyon below me and we get the storm winds real bad. Once it gets above 40 mph it gets real nasty. We've had gusts of 60 mph every year, and 2 years ago we had a small tornado, the second since my neighbor has lived here. I hate winds

[yachtingone]

Over 200,000 people are without power this morning. Power poles are being ripped into pieces and lots of trees are down too.
Of course we have turned on it's side big rigs on the 15 freeway as usual.

The wind is just getting started! . I am currently getting 23mph wind here in Corona. The gust are not real strong yet.
Corona is to get it's highest wind tonight at midnight. It will get to 30 mph here. The event should die down by noon tomarro.

I hope my garden doesn't have after pic opportunities!

Randy

[MattyB]

They said the wind was supposed to kick up early this morining, but it's been absolutely still, I mean no wind at all. Even in the foothills this morning it's not windy. Maybe it got delayed?

[paulgila]

theres alot of hot air moving around,fer sure.

[elHoagie]

Pasadena declared a state of emergency. Many of the main roads were impassable this morning because they were covered with large trees that came down. I live 7 miles away, and there wasn't a single working traffic signal between home and work. Among some of the things I saw were: four or five Trachycarpus trunks snapped in half, a Phoenix canariensis snapped in half, several tall Chamaerops trunks laying on the ground, dozens of 20m+ tall trees laying on the ground, and very few trees without at least one branch snapped off. I had to hop over at least a dozen trees that were laying across the sidewalk during the 2 block walk from my parking space to my office.

Fortunately the winds weren't quite as bad at my house. I didn't have much time to look around my place, but a Bismarckia and Pritchardia were blown over and are laying on their sides. Effectively all the leaflets have been stripped off my taller palms, and many have broken petioles. Several palms were crushed under falling branches from my canopy trees. It doesn't look like anything will die, but a lot of palms look like crap right now.

I've lived here 10 years and never seen anything remotely like this. Pasadena looks like a wasteland.

[DoomsDave]

Yeah, things are not pretty in Pas, for certain.

Good heavens.

They seem to get more than their fair share of this type of thing. For some reason, they get some NASTY wind through there. Back in 1996 a big windstorm knocked over some BIG Ficus nitidas near the downtown convention center, just keeled them right over. Some of them were almost 2 m (6 feet) across the trunks. Not little saplings. The entire crowns fell over intact after the roots gave way, possibly from pruning by sidewalks.

Even worse, some of the 40-50 M (120-150 foot) deodar cedars on Christmas tree Lane were also knocked down.

It can blustery in el Screamo, but nothing like Pasadena.

[DoomsDave]

Egad, those Ficus are murder when they fall. They line many of the streets, too, and some are really huge.

Thank heaven no one got killed that I know of so far.

This one trashed a gas station, and I mean trashed totally.

[DoomsDave]

Her'es a link to the LA Times.

Check out the picture of the tree, and note the walkway lifted into the air on the root ball that popped out of the ground.

CLICK HERE

[DoomsDave]

Another video.

Anyone hear from Happ? I suspect he might be one of those without power . . .

[DoomsDave]

Pasadena declared a state of emergency. Many of the main roads were impassable this morning because they were covered with large trees that came down. I live 7 miles away, and there wasn't a single working traffic signal between home and work. Among some of the things I saw were: four or five Trachycarpus trunks snapped in half, a Phoenix canariensis snapped in half, several tall Chamaerops trunks laying on the ground, dozens of 20m+ tall trees laying on the ground, and very few trees without at least one branch snapped off. I had to hop over at least a dozen trees that were laying across the sidewalk during the 2 block walk from my parking space to my office.

Fortunately the winds weren't quite as bad at my house. I didn't have much time to look around my place, but a Bismarckia and Pritchardia were blown over and are laying on their sides. Effectively all the leaflets have been stripped off my taller palms, and many have broken petioles. Several palms were crushed under falling branches from my canopy trees. It doesn't look like anything will die, but a lot of palms look like crap right now.

I've lived here 10 years and never seen anything remotely like this. Pasadena looks like a wasteland.

YOW! A CIDP snapped in two? THAT took some serious wind.

Those can take cement trucks hitting them, at least at the base. Pray you never have to remove one.

Oddly, we get nasty wind like this about once every ten years or so, more or less. Too often, actually.

[DALION]

I live in the path of those winds and they come over the Chino Hills and drop into Yorba Linda. In 2002 we had winds of 40+ and the strongest gust hit 74. It was a real tough night since the winds started about 9pm and just got worse as the night went on. I have already moved all the potted plants I could and now it's time to wait and see what happens.

How close were you to those terrible fires in your general area? Back in 2008? 2009?

Dave

I was above it and below it. The riverbed below was on fire and the hill above me was on fire. It was a scary sight. I have picture at home from the fires that I will post later. I don't want to experience that again.

Leo

[MattyB]

Whoah crap! It's been so calm down here that I thought there was no santa ana. I didn't realize that it was blowing like crazy up there. Sorry to hear about your trees Jack.

[DoomsDave]

Whoah crap! It's been so calm down here that I thought there was no santa ana. I didn't realize that it was blowing like crazy up there. Sorry to hear about your trees Jack.

We have a bit of wind, here, too, but, yeah, other places got hammered.

Remember that PSSC meeting at Drew Zager's a few years ago (Holmby Hills, teak-sided house)? That very night when I got home, I could see a brush fire where Dalion was talking about, and it was headed right towards my house.

(Oh, no, I wasn't frightened, though I was gravely concerned enough to fear wetting my pants . .. . )

But, right near my place, the wind died down. I rode my bike to the 57 freeway and the wind was hot, hard and nasty there, all of a sudden, while a quarter mile away it was calm. No problem with wind or fire, that time.

That was nasty, yowza.

Pasadena really gets it sometimes.

[elHoagie]

Thanks Matty!

Many of the streets up here look like the one in Dave's first video. I can't believe the destruction...

[MattyB]

that high and the low below it must have just converged right on top the south face of the San Gabriels. I remember driving down the cajon pass and heading west on the 210 and as soon as we hit the basin bottom, BAM, that wind funnel just roared like crazy.

[happ]

I am sending this message by cell since my power is still out. Lost a huge focus and eucalyptus trees. Damage to palms. 90mph gusts caused roof damage. Now shade palms like howea and decipieus and leptocheilos etc will exposed to the sun. I will post photos.
wea and

[happ]

I am sending this message by cell since my power is still out. Lost a huge focus and eucalyptus trees. Damage to palms. 90mph gusts caused roof damage. Now shade palms like howea and decipieus and leptocheilos etc will exposed to the sun. I will post photos.
wea and

[trioderob]

Whoah crap! It's been so calm down here that I thought there was no santa ana. I didn't realize that it was blowing like crazy up there. Sorry to hear about your trees Jack.

just what I was thinking.

when I posted the thread had no idea it would be THIS bad:


PASADENA - Winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour whipped through the west San Gabriel Valley overnight causing trees to snap and power lines to fall. As many as 230,000 were reported without power and the city of Pasadena declared a state of emergency.


Schools are closed in La Canada-Flintridge, Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, San Marino and Altadena.


Pasadena Police Chief Philip Sanchez said the city opened its emergency operations center at City Hall about midnight.


City officials are asking citizens to stay indoors.


"If you don't need to be out, shelter in place," said Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez.


Sanchez reports there are at least 200 down power lines in Pasadena and as many as 270 trees.


The weather caused multiple fires over nights, including one that resulted in one person being critically injured and three others were hurt near the intersection of Penn Street

Edited by trioderob, 01 December 2011 - 05:34 PM.

[DoomsDave]

I am sending this message by cell since my power is still out. Lost a huge focus and eucalyptus trees. Damage to palms. 90mph gusts caused roof damage. Now shade palms like howea and decipieus and leptocheilos etc will exposed to the sun. I will post photos.
wea and

Sorry to hear!

But glad to know you're safe!

Keep us apprized, again, so sad to hear!

[DALION]

The winds haven't been too strong by my house. So far winds have maxed at 32 mph but we still have another night to go and tonight the winds are coming from the NE and those are the ones that do this here:

This is the view NE from the front of my house. (over 37 homes burned in that area)


This is from my 2nd floor deck looking west.. (15 or so homes burned in this area)


This is the view south of my house. That is the Santa Ana River and Featherly Park for those that know the area. (two large apartment complexes burned to the ground this way)


So I am glad we don't have too much wind right now because this last incident was enough for this decade.

[MattyB]

awwww man, that fire is up in the tree tops,that sucks! Sorry to hear about all your stress man! Hang in there.

[paulgila]

i hope everyone is safe! inst the huntington in this area? i wonder how it fared...

[joe_OC]

Lots of fallen trees/Palms at Huntington...

[DALION]

For those concerned, the Huntigton Library did suffer significant damage to there palms and trees. They have been closed to visitors and even staff since the wind storm. I had been planning to go this weekend but the it may remain closed on Sunday as well. If it is open, I will go and take pictures of what damage is visible. I do know that last year they lost two 20+ feet Fouquieria columnaris which were decades old in addition to many other trees and plants.

[DALION]

I did make it to the Huntington today. Here is the link to some of the pictures. http://www.palmtalk....showtopic=31074

[MattyB]

Thanks for documenting this.