Hurricane-force Santa Ana winds hit Southern California

Trees knocked down across Southern California

FOX 11 has team coverage surveying the serious damages left by the damaging winds this week across Southern California.

LOS ANGELES - Gusty Santa Ana winds battered parts of Southern California Thursday, with damaging wind gusts of 70-100 mph.

The strong winds toppled trees, resulting in closed roadways, destroyed homes and created hazardous driving conditions.

Santa Ana winds: SoCal sees widespread damage

Team coverage from Good Day LA continues across Southern California as Santa Ana winds blast the region.

The combination of saturated ground and high winds led to numerous reports of trees falling across the area, including one in La Crescenta that crashed through the roof of a home, rending the building uninhabitable.

Another large tree fell onto a home in Altadena. In Lake Balboa, a tree fell onto numerous parked cars near an apartment building. No injuries were reported.

During the height of the wind event, a gust of 86 mph was measured Thursday afternoon in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Strong winds down trees, destroying homes

The strong winds battered Southern California this week, downing trees and destroying cars and homes.

Tree slams into van carrying elderly people

The strong winds knocked down a large tree, landing on a van carrying a group of senior citizens.

Although gusty conditions persisted into the late afternoon, the winds were easing in strength. High wind warnings that had been in place across a large swath of the Southland were allowed to expire at 4 p.m., replaced in many areas with less serious wind advisories.

Wind Advisory

According to the NWS, a wind advisory will be in place until 11 a.m. Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors. Winds of 20 to 35 mph are expected, with gusts possible of up to 55 mph.

The Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu Coast, Calabasas and the western San Fernando Valley will also be under a wind advisory until 11 a.m. Friday, with winds possibly gusting up to 45 mph, forecasters said.

In the eastern San Fernando Valley, the wind advisory will be in place only until 10 p.m. Thursday. A previously issued wind advisory in the San Gabriel Valley and Catalina Island was allowed to expire Thursday afternoon, with winds "diminishing across the area."

What's next

Forecasters noted that the low-pressure system in the area was also carrying some moisture, creating a slight chance of showers and possibly even a thunderstorm Thursday night and Friday. Some "snow showers" are even possible in eastern mountains.

"Much lighter winds in the forecast for Friday as gradients weaken," according to the NWS. "There will still be some gusty winds in the mountains Friday morning but those should taper down through the day."

Saturday could also see some light winds and showers.

Warmer weather is anticipated in the area by Sunday, with temperatures in the upper 70s and lower 80s possibly by Monday and Tuesday, forecasters said.

Tree falls in Lake Balboa

Crews are working to clear a large tree that fell in Lake Balboa around 2 a.m.

The FOX Model showed widespread areas of 50-60 mph gusts across much of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Wind-prone passes and canyons show up to Category 2-hurricane-force gusts are possible.

Due to the dangerous winds, the Los Angeles Zoo and Orange County Zoo both announced they were closed Thursday.