Winds bring wildfires and power outages to thousands

LOS ANGELES » A windstorm that fanned brushfires, toppled trees and left thousands of Californians without power focused its remaining energy Wednesday on the southern end of the state, where forecasters warned of the additional threat of heavy rain and flash flooding.

Strong winds were expected to continue through the morning and then taper off, with a low-pressure system moving across northern Baja California drawing subtropical moisture into the region during the night, the National Weather Service said.

Flash-flood watches were posted for the eastern mountains and deserts and snow was expected to fall at elevations 5,500 feet (1,676 meters) and higher.

Utilities, meanwhile, continued to deal with power outages resulting from a combination of wind damage and public safety power shutoffs intended to prevent wildfires from being started by sparks from downed or damaged wires.

Southern California Edison’s website early Wednesday showed 44,000 customers intentionally blacked out and more than 170,000 others advised they could potentially have their power cut.

In the northern and central areas of the state, Pacific Gas & Electric had restored power to more than 70% of the 286,000 customers who lost power due to severe weather. About 78,000 remained without power as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the utility said.

Power lines that are shut down must be inspected for signs of damage before they can be reenergized.

The powerful winds howled into Northern California late Monday and spread southward Tuesday under the influence of lowpressure systems.