"I look around and I'm on the floor," he said.
Winds blew between 25 to 30 mph, with gusts reaching close to 65 mph in mountain passes.
The Santa Ana wind event was expected to persist through the morning and into the afternoon.
Driver Jim Jeffries, who traveled through the Cajon Pass overnight, said he was worried about big rigs on the road.
"If it's buffeting my car, I'm sure it's just tossing them around pretty good," Jeffries said.
High wind advisories were in effect for the L.A. County coast, including downtown L.A., until 3 p.m. A high wind warning was in effect for Malibu, Santa Monica and the Ventura County Coastal Valleys until 3 p.m.
