>The winds marked the latest strange weather to
>hit Southern California in the last few months,
>including snow that blanketed Malibu, Westwood
>and beyond in January and record heat waves during the normally rainy February.
<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-winds28mar28,1,110793,full.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-winds28mar28,1,110793,full.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
Not a wet storm, but wild
A freakish, wintry wind peels roofs, topples trees, cuts power and capsizes boats. But it brings very little much-needed rain. By Hector Becerra and Ashley Powers Times Staff Writers
March 28, 2007
Bone-dry Southern California continued to redefine the popular definition of a storm Tuesday, when a cold system produced destructive microbursts and heavy winds but almost no rain.
The winds, which were measured at 60 mph in some parts of the Los Angeles Basin, ripped roofs off several buildings, left 160,000 homes and businesses without power, and stripped a 10-story-tall advertising banner off a tower in Hollywood. The winds also downed hundreds of trees and capsized boats in Newport Harbor, prompting rescues by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol.
The storm came from the northwest, but moved inland along the coast too far north to bring much moisture with it, said Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
The system created such havoc because it came with cold temperatures. When the cold air flowed down and hit the warm air near the surface, it caused great volatility as intense wind gusts burst in various directions.
The winds marked the latest strange weather to hit Southern California in the last few months, including snow that blanketed Malibu, Westwood and beyond in January and record heat waves during the normally rainy February.
Los Angeles is facing its driest rain year on record. Only 2.47 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles since July 1. In a normal year, more than 13 inches of rain would have fallen by now.
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