Red Flag Parking Conditions Are Lifted

Red flag parking conditions imposed by Los Angeles fire officials in response to strong and dry offshore winds were lifted tonight when the winds died down as predicted.

The ban on parking along some narrow, hillside roads in fire prone areas -- such as those that extend into the Santa Monica Mountains, the Hollywood Hills and the foothills of the San Gabriel range -- was put in place Saturday night about 6 p.m. and was called off about 7 p.m. Sunday, according to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott.

"The winds came as predicted last night, which is why we implemented it,'' Scott said. "Tonight, when the winds started to subside as predicted, we called it off.''

County firefighters put 200-300 extra personnel on the payroll today to be ready in case a fire breaks out. Extra trucks were spotted in Malibu, Agoura Hills, the Santa Clarita Valley and other wind-prone areas. Top gusts of 83 mph were clocked at the Camp Nine fire station in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Pacoima, the National Weather Service reported. Other peak gusts included 69 mph at Chilao, near Mount Wilson, and 62 mph on two mountaintops near Agoura Hills and Castaic. Although beginning to diminish late in the afternoon, sustained winds of 54 mph were recorded in the mountains north of Malibu, and a 70 mph gust was reported in the midafternoon.

The CHP reported that several trucks had blown over on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, east of Ontario. A communications cable was loosened by the wind and hung 7 feet above a busy section of the eastbound freeway near the Interstate 15 interchange. The winds in the mountains approached the hurricane level of 74 mph. They exceeded the last NWS forecast, which called for 60 mph across some peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains. Winds were expected to diminish in the afternoon, with warning expiring at 3 p.m. in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, as well as the Santa Clarita Valley.

The winds were caused by an unusual one-two punch: a high pressure system over Las Vegas and an upper-level low pressure system closely-spaced, over northern Arizona. The weather systems were on track to move to the east quickly, leaving a mild offshore breeze over Southern California. Highs were predicted to be 10 degrees above normal on Monday, and the NWS summarized its prediction for Monday as "glorious.''

–City News Service