Dust storm sweeps through Lancaster, triggers road closures amid high wind warning
High wind warnings are in effect now for parts of Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.
LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A dust storm that swept through the Lancaster area on Monday temporarily prompted a road closure amid high wind warnings that were in effect for large swaths of Los Angeles County.
A video posted by the California Transportation Department on Twitter shows an empty section of Route 138 as a cloud of dust covered the area. In addition to the 138, a section of the 14 was also shut down due to the dust.
Visibility in the Antelope Valley area was reduced to nearly nothing - all residents could see is thick, dusty haze.
The strong winds were also felt in other parts of the region. In South Los Angeles, two large trees fell on top of several parked cars in the area of Denker Avenue and 59th Place. No injuries were reported in the incident and no homes appeared to be damaged.
High wind warnings were set to be in effect across parts of Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys through most of Monday. The desert and mountain communities may see gusts reaching 55 to 60 mph.
Deserts will keep seeing billowing dust, with gusts up to 60 mph and a high temperature of just 64.
The National Weather Service is alerting residents of possible power outages and difficulty traveling due to low visibility out on the roads.
In northern and central California, Pacific Gas & Electric began shutting off power to about 25,000 customers in certain regions early Monday as high winds threatened to damage its equipment and potentially ignite wildfires.
The planned outages are necessary because high winds, combined with low humidity and drought-ravaged vegetation, could raise the risk of trees falling on power lines and spark a fast-spreading wildfire, PG&E said in a statement.
READ MORE | PG&E planned power shutoffs impacting thousands across California
