March 25--Strong winds whipped across Southern California on Tuesday night, toppling trees -- including one that fell onto a moving car -- and causing widespread power outages.
Gusts reached 31 mph in the Topanga Hills and 85 mph at Whitaker Peak, and the high winds are expected to continued until noon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The strong gusts pushed over a massive pine tree onto a Mercedes Benz traveling about 8:30 p.m. on Lexington Road in Beverly Hills. The driver was taken to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Winds also wreaked havoc in West Hollywood, Beverly Crest and the San Fernando Valley after power was knocked out for thousands of residents.
In West Hollywood, about 3,000 Southern California Edison customers lost power at about 8:40 p.m. Power was out for nearly 700 customers in the Beverly Crest neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The utility said early Wednesday that a downed power line caused small, scattered outages in the San Fernando Valley.
The strong winds are expected to taper off by Wednesday just as a high pressure system moves into the region, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures.
By Friday, forecasters say the hot temperatures could break records for the date in Long Beach, downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Palmdale, Ojai, Santa Maria and Paso Robles.
Temperatures could reach the low 90s.
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