High-wind warnings issued around L.A., Ventura mountains

Winds were gusting up to 60 mph this morning in Los Angeles-area mountains, prompting high-wind warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service.

A high-wind warning issued yesterday afternoon remains in effect until at least 10 a.m. in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to Andrew Rorke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The National Weather Service issues the warning when winds gust above 58 mph, Rorke said.

A less severe wind advisory has also been issued for mountain areas of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties until 2 p.m. today, Rorke said. Winds in those areas reached 30 mph this morning and were expected to gust up to 55 mph.

The winds are the aftermath of a cold front that moved in overnight from the Gulf of Alaska and has already drifted down to Arizona and Mexico, he said. Rorke said he expects the wind warnings to be downgraded later this morning, but still urged caution during the morning commute.

"If you're in a big high-profile vehicle towing a trailer, you might find yourself getting pushed into another lane," by the wind, he said.

No major wind-related traffic crashes were reported this morning, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos. A big rig caught fire on the southbound I-5 at about 5 a.m., most likely due to a tire problem, and blocked two lanes of traffic, but officers responded and cleared the lanes by about 5:30 a.m., Villalobos said.

_{Bron: LA Times}