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Public Safety

Santa Ana Winds To Bring Hazardous Driving Conditions To San Diego Valleys, Mountains

This map of San Diego County shows projected wind speeds for Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday Dec. 3.
National Weather Service
This map of San Diego County shows projected wind speeds for Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday Dec. 3.

Gusty Santa Ana winds are expected to whip through parts of San Diego County Friday into the weekend, forecasters warned.

Potential Wind Impacts

Downed trees and power lines possible

  • Potential power losses
  • Difficult travel, especially for high profile vehicles
  • Patchy blowing dust reducing visibility in the Inland Empire

A National Weather Service wind advisory for the mountains and valleys will extend from 9 a.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday. Winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and gusts up to 50 mph are expected in most areas, but forecasters said localized gusts may reach 60 mph along coastal mountain slopes.

"Strong offshore flow will bring strong and widespread northeast winds to the region Friday and Saturday,'' according to the weather service.

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The winds may make for hazardous driving conditions, especially for motorists in high-profile vehicles. Sustained wind speeds of 40 mph or more or gusts of at least 58 mph can cause property damage, forecasters said.

The winds are expected to lighten up Saturday night into Sunday,

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