65 MPH Winds Batter Laguna Beach Amid Fire Watch Warning

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Keep those patio umbrellas inside, Laguna Beach — the strong winds in your area are expected to stick around into the week.

A wind advisory issued for Orange County by the National Weather Service this week warned residents of northeast winds ranging from 35 to 45 miles per hour, with gusts up to 65 miles per hour.

The wind advisory will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday.

"Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines, and power outages are possible," according to the NWS. "Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles."

Residents were urged to remain in the lower levels of their homes during the windstorm and to avoid windows.

The wind advisory comes at the heels of a Red Flag Warning issued for much of the Southland.

The Red Flag Warning, impacting Orange County, San Diego valleys, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire, is expected to remain in effect until Thursday due to strong Santa Ana winds and low relative humidity.

Nearly half a million electric customers in Southern California are at risk of losing power in a public safety power shutoff Tuesday due to the warning, according to utility providers.

Of SCE’s 5 million customers, shutoffs were being considered for 414,306 in the following areas (as of 12 p.m. Tuesday):

• Kern County: 3,253
• Los Angeles County: 113,805
• Orange County: 12,871
• Riverside County: 122,244
• San Bernardino County: 67,233
• Santa Barbara County: 4,182
• Ventura County: 90,718

For more information, visit www.sce.com/outage-center/outage-information/psps and www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.