Countywide : Winds Uproot Tree, Blocking Highway
Winds of up to 25 m.p.h. uprooted a 15-foot eucalyptus tree near Santa Paula on Thursday, briefly blocking part of the Santa Paula Freeway before workers moved the tree to the side of the road.
After the incident, the California Highway Patrol issued a wind advisory for the highway in Ventura County. But no injuries were reported and there were no other reports of downed trees or utility wires in the county.
The winds made for choppy waves on the Pacific Ocean, prompting the Coast Guard to issue a small craft advisory for waters within 16 miles of the coast through this morning, when winds were expected to calm. A gale warning was issued Thursday night for boaters farther out at sea, where winds of 35 m.p.h. or more were expected and 14-foot swells were anticipated.
Throughout much of the county, winds ranged from 15 to 25 m.p.h., with gusts up to 48 m.p.h. at Laguna Peak above Point Mugu.
The high winds are the result of a low-pressure pocket south of Las Vegas, Nev., clashing with a high-pressure system off the California coast, said Kent Field, a meteorologist with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.
He said the gusty winds that blew out of the northwest also kept the county’s air clean on Thursday.
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