Strong winds topple massive trees in some SoCal neighborhoods, damaging homes and vehicles

Powerful winds toppled massive trees in some Southern California neighborhoods overnight Friday, damaging homes, vehicles and demolishing a cinder-block wall in Arcadia.

A high wind warning took effect at 3 p.m. Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys and the Los Angeles County Mountains -- and the warning was expected to remain in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday.

A towering tree that was rooted on the Arcadia property of Ellen Kutza's neighbor fell onto two of Kutza's vehicles.

"We won't know how much damage until it's light out, and we have know power," Kutza said Friday evening. "It's pretty windy up here so stay safe, everybody."

In Ontario, a 150-foot tree crashed into a two-story house and destroyed an entire side of the structure while three people were inside. One of those individuals was upstairs at the time of the incident and was rescued by firefighters. The other two occupants managed to escape on their own.

Several homes were damaged when fierce winds knocked over massive trees in some Inland Empire neighborhoods.

No injuries were reported. The house was red-tagged by officials.

According to the National Weather Service, the L.A. County Mountains could experience winds of 35 mph to 45 mph, with gusts of 70 mph, and isolated gusts potentially reaching 80 mph in the western portion of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Other areas covered by the warning could see 25 mph to 35 mph winds, with gusts up to 65 mph -- strongest in the Santa Monica Mountains and western and northern parts of the San Fernando Valley.

A high wind warning is in effect through Saturday afternoon for parts of Southern California as strong winds blow across the region.

Less severe wind advisories will be in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday for the Los Angeles coastal region, including downtown, and the San Gabriel Valley. Forecasters anticipate winds of 20 mph to 30 mph, with gusts of 50 mph, in the coastal area, most notably near Malibu. The San Gabriel Valley could be hit with winds of 15 mph to 25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph.

"Daytime temperatures will warm to above seasonal normals for this time of year as offshore flow will remain in place through the period, but in wind-sheltered areas and the interior valleys, overnight low temperatures could get quite cold,'' according to the weather service.

The advisories came with warnings that the high winds can blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Areas noted by the weather service for caution include the 5 and 14 freeways.

City News Service contributed to this report.