High winds cause power outages, damage in Southland

CHATSWORTH, Calif. (KABC) -- A high-wind warning was in effect for parts of Southern California Sunday night and into Monday.

The National Weather Service says a phenomenon called a standing mountain wave occurred Sunday night, allowing high-speed winds from the mid-levels of the atmosphere to reach the surface. Gusts were as strong as 75 mph in Ventura and Los Angeles County areas.

The strong winds caused power outages and property damage before dissipating around 2 a.m.

A tree toppled over in the 26800 block of Mulholland Highway in Malibu, causing a gas leak. Los Angeles County fire officials said the tree fell on top of a large commercial gas meter, which has since been shut off. Repair crews were scheduled to replace the meter Monday.

In Long Beach, about 1,100 Southern California Edison customers in and around the California Heights-Bixby Knolls neighborhoods were without power Sunday night due to equipment problems. The power has since been restored.

About 1,100 customers were without power in the Chatsworth area. Crews were working overnight to restore power. An investigation was underway, but officials believe the cause is most likely wind-related. The power was restored at 4:08 a.m., DWP officials said.

Biker Mark McKibben said the conditions made for a rough ride.

"It's pretty intense. I always heard Chicago was the windy city, but I think Chatsworth is up there now," McKibben said.

A wind advisory for Ventura County and San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita valleys in Los Angeles expired around 3 a.m. Monday.

A high-wind warning was predicated to last until 9 a.m. Monday for Santa Monica, Los Angeles County and Ventura County mountains.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.