• Roadside ignition was source of Springs Fire: Officials

    Slideshow: California wildfires

    David Mcnew / Getty Images

    Firefighters battle a growing wildfire that reached the beaches in Ventura County and pushes its way toward the upscale city of Malibu.

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    By Reggie Kumar and Jason Kandel, NBCLosAngeles.com

    An undetermined roadside ignition in grass and debris off the Ventura Freeway in Southern California sparked the Springs Fire, officials said on Sunday.

    Officials are calling it an "undetermined roadside ignition of grass and debris" that started the region's largest wildfire so far this year that scorched nearly 44 acres along the Ventura and Los Angeles county lines.

    Now that firefighters have the Springs Fire nearly under control after three days fighting in steep, rugged and rocky terrain, the focus of the blaze turns to a grassy area off the Ventura Freeway in the Conejo Grade where the fire was sparked on Thursday.

    Full coverage from NBCLA: Southern California Wildfires

    The fire began off the southbound side of the Ventura Freeway at Camarillo Springs Road. The fire quickly spread to over 28,000 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains in near triple-digit heat and low humidity.

    Some 15 homes and several recreational vehicles were damaged and several communities in the path were evacuated. No injuries were reported and no one died.

    The fire prompted a massive mutual-aid response from agencies across the state.

    At one point, 9,000 firefighters — assisted by water-dropping and fire-retardant dropping planes and helicopters — attacked the flames.

    The fire was 60 percent contained on Sunday, officials said.

  • 'Monster' California wildfire reaches ocean, pushes toward Malibu

    Slideshow: California wildfires

    Jonathan Alcorn / Reuters

    A fire engine is parked on Pacific Coast Highway as the Springs Fire burns in the hills at Point Mugu State Park on May 3.

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    By John Newland and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

    Southern California firefighters battled back a series of sprawling, brush-fueled wildfires on Friday, including one that had blazed a trail to the beach in Ventura County overnight and was pushing toward the upscale city of Malibu, officials said.

    At least six fires of various sizes flared up as high temperatures, low humidity and brittle brush left the state a veritable tinderbox over the last two days, although conditions were improving by the afternoon.

    The so-called Springs Fire, made worse by howling Santa Ana winds and unusually dry vegetation, crept within "seven or eight miles" of Malibu around 2 a.m. local time [5 a.m. ET], Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said.

    "We've got hot, dirty, unglamorous firefighting work going on right now, guys with shovels trying to scratch out lines on the ground," Nash said in the early hours of Friday. "We've got those guys on these steep hillsides in the dark with nothing but the light of the fire and a flashlight."

    Dry winds from inland to the ocean brought gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour to the Southern California region on Friday. By 1 p.m Pacific time, the temperatures had dropped 11 degrees and the humidity shot up to 19 percent. Warnings remained in effect as winds stoked the flames, the National Weather Service reported.

    “We’re looking good,” Battalion Chief Fred Burris of the Ventura County Fire Department said on Friday, according to NBC Los Angeles. “We believe we’re past the major structure threat at this time.”

    The Springs Fire grew to 10,000 acres and was 10 percent contained as of early Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.

    An eight-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway was shut down for a time on Thursday night as bright orange flames raced down scrubby hillsides toward the Pacific Ocean.

    “We are asking members of the public to be very aware: This is very dangerous,” said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Tom Kruschke. “This is still a moving fire. If you were asked to evacuate, it will be a while before you are allowed in. And if at one point you are uncomfortable, please leave the area. It’s not safe to stay.”

    The fires become especially dangerous when tree cover is dry and Santa Anna winds gust at high speeds, creating a wake-up call for everyone in California to be prepared. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

    “The firemen have been doing a really great job of keeping it away from the houses,” said Sara Mallam, a resident of Newbury Park, near Thousand Oaks, Calif. “It is kind of scary to see it get so close, but they really seem to know what they’re doing.”

    Though the more than 925 firefighters on the scene got a brief overnight reprieve as the humidity jumped and winds died down, winds picked up again after sunrise on Friday.

    Firefighters received help from tankers and helicopters in the air after the sun rose on Friday, according to a release from the Ventura County Fire Department.

    Complicating the situation is the extremely dry plant life left from a season in which only about five inches of rain fell, officials said.

    Friday "may be the hottest day of the week, and the humidity we do expect to plummet," Nash said. "We’re faced with a situation right now where the vegetation on the hillsides, the moisture level is what we typically see in August."

    The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday. There had been no lightning or other natural fire-starting phenomenon in the area when the blaze began, Nash said.

    In Riverside County, hundreds of firefighters had begun to gain control of a wind-lashed 3,000-acre wildfire that consumed one home and led to the evacuation of hundreds of others.

    The Riverside County fire, dubbed the Summit Fire, remained at just under 3,000 acres Friday morning and was about 65 percent contained, according to a Cal Fire incident report. Firefighters worked to improve containment lines around the raging blaze that threatened homes on Wednesday, but one building had been destroyed.

    Two of the 650 firefighters trying to tame the blaze sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the report.

    Additionally, more than 1,000 firefighters were battling a third major wildfire, designated the Panther Fire, Friday in rugged timberland in Northern California’s Tehama County about 30 miles east of Chico.

    NBC News' Jeff Black contributed to this report.

    View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

     

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    This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 9:46 AM EDT

  • Quake shakes inland region of Southern California

    A moderate earthquake – the largest to hit the Los Angeles area in years – was felt as far south as San Diego. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A moderate earthquake shook a wide area of Southern California on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

    The temblor struck at 9:55 a.m. PT in a remote, mountainous area northeast of San Diego and was estimated to be magnitude 4.7 (earlier reports gave it a magnitude of 5.1). The quake's center was 16 miles south of Palm Desert, Calif. There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.

    Several smaller seismic events were also reported around the same time. 

    According to Leslie Gordon of the USGS, the initial magnitude reports are generated by computer and automatically sent out. Those reports are revised after data are reviewed by USGS seismologists.

    The quake was "a little tricky to analyze" because of a small quake that preceded the larger event, said USGS seismologist Susan Hough. That threw off some of the instruments, she said, and so the depth of the quake as well as its precise epicenter and relation to known faults in the area remained unclear.

    The quake was felt sharply in the local area, The Associated Press reported, and also rolled through downtown Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County.

    Some Twitter users reported that they slept through the quake, while other reported being startled awake.

    Kristen Nicole (@KristenNicole25) tweeted: "Apparently there was an #earthquake in #SoCal this morning. People said they felt it in #LA... Not this girl."

    Twitter user Anayeli (@iamanayeli) reported the quake woke her up in Riverside. "At least I won't be late for class!," she wrote.

    Terry Raposa said on her Facebook account that she felt the quake in Lake Elsinore.

    "Slam and then felt sea sick! LOL!," she wrote, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.

    NBCLosAngeles.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    This story was originally published on Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:14 PM EDT

  • A whale of a success story: Gray whale comeback boosts business

    A rare look at a spectacular show of nature, as gray whales make a splash off the coast of Southern California. They've made an impressive comeback and are giving the economy of that region a real boost. NBC's Diana Alvear reports.

    By Diana Alvear, Correspondent, NBC News

    A couple of breaths are enough to reveal the giants beneath the surface.

    Two Pacific gray whales are spotted just off the coast of Redondo Beach, Calif., two of thousands that are making their way south to warmer waters near Mexico. That’s where many will mate and give birth before returning to Arctic waters. Their journey takes them along the California coast to the delight of tourists, locals and naturalists, such as Alisa Schulman-Janiger.

    Click here to visit the website for the Los Angeles chapter of the American Cetacean Society

    "60 years ago this wouldn’t be happening,” she said. “These are whales that were hunted to the point of extinction."

    Channel Islands Whale Watching/Photography by Edward Howell

    Prized for their bones and oil, Pacific gray whales were hunted relentlessly and were nearly wiped out twice -- once in the mid 1800’s and again in the early 20th century. Alarmed by their exceedingly low numbers and the extinction of the Atlantic gray whale, commercial whaling was banned first by Mexico, then the U.S. in the 1940’s. Since then, gray whales have become the comeback kids of the Pacific.

    “They are the only whales to be taken off the endangered species list," Schulman-Janiger said  "So that’s a real success story.”

    And their success has translated into success for state and national parks situated along the so-called “whale highway.” Cabrillo National Monument even holds a Whale Watching Weekend, an event designed to educate families about the need for conservation.

    Click here to visit the U.S. National Park Service website 

    /

    LaShae Bibbins and her husband brought their two daughters to the event.

    “I really do think it’s important because they can grow up understanding conservation and then maybe being an advocate,” she said.

    Her daughter, 6-year-old Kaitlyne, can’t take her eyes off the coastline. She wants to see a whale, “cause they’re really interesting and fascinating!”

    Brennen Nicoletti slowly toured the exhibits with her 2-year-old son perched on her shoulders.

    “I grew up getting to go whale watching. I want my children to grow up seeing the whales and not reading about them in a book,” she said.  “Actually see them in real life and up close and personal like I’ve been so lucky to be able to do.”

    American Cetacean Society naturalist Alisa Schulman-Janiger speaks about the importance and preservation of gray whales, stressing that education plays a key role.

    And then, a shout came up from the boardwalk bordering the coast. Someone had spotted a spout. Visitors quickly pulled out their cameras, standing on tip toe for a better shot.

    It’s a scene one wouldn’t normally see at this time at Cabrillo, according to Cabrillo spokesperson Emily Floyd.

    “With our vantage point, it really brings people in. And we definitely do see a rise in visitation in what would normally be an off-season for us,” said Lloyd.

    With sweeping vistas of the sea, tourists flock to Cabrillo and other coastal parks to see these gentle giants at a time when, on average, attendance is down and state and national parks are struggling.

    Just south of Cabrillo, San Diego Whale Watch tours is preparing to push off for another tour. The boat is packed, everyone jostling for a good view.

    The company used to sponsor fishing expeditions but two years ago, owner Christopher Switzer had an idea: “We were driving the boat in from fishing trips and were having to dodge whales,” he said.

    So the company switched to whale watching and business is booming.

    “There’s a whole economy that revolves around live whales,” Schulman-Janiger said. “People buy T-shirts and jackets and all sorts of things, it brings people out of their homes and out on boats to see the whales.”

    She says the whales aren’t just survivors, they’re proof that successful conservation can lead to economic success. And she’s hoping these rock stars of the sea serve as an example to ensure these and other natural wonders never cease. 

    Channel Islands Whale Watching/Photography by Edward Howell

  • Long-missing WWII medals awarded in Los Angeles

    View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

    By Robert Jablon, The Associated Press

    A Southern California woman who grew up knowing little of her father — a heroic casualty of World War II — is now the proud owner of his long-lost battle medals, including a Silver Star and Purple Heart.

    Hyla Merin's mother never spoke about the Army officer who died before she was born. The scraps of information she gathered from other relatives were hazy: 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of battlefield honors who died sometime in 1945.

    Aside from wedding photos of Markel in uniform, Merin never glimpsed him.

    About four months ago, the manager of a West Hollywood apartment building where Merin's mother lived in the 1960s found a box containing papers and the Purple Heart while cleaning out some lockers in the laundry room, Merin said.

    The manager contacted Purple Hearts Reunited, a nonprofit organization that returns lost or stolen medals to vets or their families.

    A search led to Merin.

    On Sunday, she received the Purple Heart, along with a Silver Star she never knew her father had won and a half-dozen other medals.

    Mark J. Terrill / AP

    Army Capt. Zachariah L. Fike presents Hyla Merin with a plaque Sunday that contains medals presented posthumously to her father after they were recently discovered in an apartment where Merin's mother and aunts had once lived.

    Merin wiped away tears as the Silver Star was pinned to her lapel during a short ceremony attended by friends and family at her home in Westlake Village, a community straddling the Ventura and Los Angeles county lines. The other medals were presented on a plaque.

    "It just confirms what a great man he was," Merin said tearfully. "He gave up his life for our country and our freedom. I'll put it up in my house as a memorial to him and to those who served."

    Merin's mother, Celia, married Markel in 1941 when he already was in the military. They met at a Jewish temple in Buffalo, N.Y.

    Markel was killed in the last days of World War II in May 1945 in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with an infantry unit, said Zachariah Fike, the Vermont Army National Guard captain who founded Purple Hearts Reunited.

    AP / Provided by Hyla Merin

    This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel with his bride, Celia Markel.

    "The accounts suggest that he was out on patrol and he got ambushed and he charged ahead and basically took out a machine gun position to save the rest of his guys," said Fike, whose organization has returned some two dozen medals. "For that, he paid the ultimate sacrifice."

    He was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star posthumously, but for some reason the family never was told about the Silver Star and it was never sent to them, Fike said.

    Merin's mother never talked in detail to her daughter about Markel.

    "It was a very difficult topic for her. When my father died, she was seven months pregnant with me," Merin said.

    Her mother briefly remarried when Merin was 10, but her stepfather died three years later, Merin said.

    Her mother moved into the apartment in 1960 and may have placed the Purple Heart in the locker then, Merin said. Her mother lived there until 1975 before moving away, and Merin's aunt lived there until 2005. Another aunt lived there until 2009.

    They never spoke about what was in the locker, and the family must have missed the box when they took away the aunts' possessions in 2005 and 2009, Merin said.


    Merin said that in addition to the Purple Heart, which Pike kept for framing, the box contained letters and other papers, and her father's Jewish prayer book.

    "I found it very hard to look at. A lot of them were condolence letters," she said.

    Merin's mother was told about the discovery of the Purple Heart but didn't live to see it — she died Feb. 1 at age 94.

    Associated Press writer Christopher Weber contributed to this story.

  • Detectives hunting for killer of Los Angeles-area man whose body was found in forest

    Damian Dovarganes / AP

    In this photo from Jan. 9, Los Angeles County Coroner officials walk with an official cadaver dog, as they investigate a shallow grave off Big Tujunga Canyon Road, on the edge of the Angeles National Forest. About 10 days later, authorities found human remains near that site.

    By Vignesh Ramachandran, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Homicide detectives in Southern California are investigating who may be behind the death of a man whose remains were found in a forest near Los Angeles earlier this month.


    Authorities discovered the remains of Nicolas Carter, 25, in Angeles National Forest on Jan. 19, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a press release Thursday. The Glendale, Calif., resident had been last seen on Jan. 7, and his disappearance was reported to local police on Jan. 18, NBCSanDiego.com reported.

    Back on Jan. 9, authorities responded to a hiker's reports of finding a "shallow grave" near Big Tujunga Canyon Road, the sheriff's office said. Officials said they found no remains at the time, but when homicide detectives later returned on Jan. 19, they discovered human remains not far from the grave.

    The coroner's office determined Carter's death was caused by "blunt force trauma."

    Angeles National Forest is just north of Los Angeles city limits. Carter's Glendale apartment is around 20 miles away from where his body was found, according to NBCSanDiego.com.

    A friend of Carter told NBCSanDiego.com that Carter's roommate reportedly received a text message from Carter around the time he went missing. The text message claimed Carter was going to see his grandma in Sacramento, but it was later revealed he doesn't have a grandma in Sacramento, NBCSanDiego.com reported.

    Lt. Mike Rosson, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, told the Los Angeles Times that nothing suspicious or unusual in Cater's past would point toward a motive in this case.

    "He holds down a job," Rosson told the newspaper. "He's a normal guy."

    While the homicide investigation continues, police ask anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or send a tip to Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers.

    NBCSanDiego.com's Lauren Steussy, as well as NBCLosAngeles.com's Sharon Bernstein and Melissa Pamer contributed to this report.

  • California family missing after trip to Mexico

    View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

    By Sharon Bernstein, NBCLosAngeles.com

    Three members of a Southern California family have been missing for nearly a month after taking a trip to Mexico, loved ones say.

    Roberto Muñoz, his wife Cecilia, and their grandson Armando Salinas, had gone to Mexico to visit relatives over the holidays. But just as the three were beginning their trip home, family members lost contact with them.

    Relative Delphina Layton said the family had reached out to the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, to no avail.

    More news from NBCLosAngeles.com

    Cellphones belonging to the missing group appear to have been turned off, and border records show that they never crossed back into the United States, she said.

    Slideshow: Narco culture permeates Mexico, leaks across border

    Mexico's drug war is also part of a drug culture with roots in music, movies and even religion

    Launch slideshow

    Layton expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation.

    “I need returned calls,” she said. “Somebody get back to me and tell me that you’re doing something.”

    A Palm Springs, Calif., television station reported that the family had been traveling through Chihuahua, Mexico, and passing through the rough border town of Ciudad Juarez. U.S. relatives were reported to be living in the Coachella Valley, northeast of San Diego.

  • Small earthquake rattles Southern California; buildings shake in Los Angeles

    By NBC News staff and news services

    Updated at 4:26 p.m. ET: A small earthquake rattled Southern California on Sunday morning, causing buildings to shake in downtown Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.   

    The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.9 magnitude and struck at 8:24 a.m.,  the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered about 5 miles east-southeast of Santa Clarita, and about 24 miles north-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. 

    It may not have been a hurricane, but an earthquake and tsunami warning worried state agencies along the West Coast. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.

    Shaking was felt across the Santa Clarita Valley, in downtown Los Angeles, in West Hollywood and along LA County beaches, The Associated Press reported.

    The quake was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

    A sheriff's dispatcher in Santa Clarita told the AP  there were no calls reporting damage or injury.

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  • Foul smell reported across Southern California

    Public officials in southern California are searching for the source of a stench that has permeated the region. One theory is that the odor from a massive fish die-off in the Salton Sea, a lake about 75 miles west of San Diego, was blown to the Pacific coastline due to stormy weather. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.

     

    By Sharon Bernstein, NBCLosAngeles.com

    A strong smell of rotten eggs wafted through far-flung parts of Southern California Monday morning, disturbing children at school in the Moreno Valley and wrinkling noses as far away as the Simi and San Fernando Valleys.

    The Air Quality Management District has been investigating the smell, which has prompted many residents to call 911.

    There has been considerable speculation that the odor is coming from a fish die-off at the Salton Sea near Indio.


    But Andrew Schlange, interim general manager of the Salton Sea Authority, told NBC4 that it is not yet clear whether the inland sea is the culprit.

    "We are in the process of trying to track it down," Schlange said. It would be unusual, he said, for a fish die-off to cause odors so far from the Salton Sea.

    The smell may not be coming from the Salton Sea at all, he said. Or if it is from the Salton Sea, there could be other reasons for it. For example, Schlange said, high winds that ripped through the area last night might have disturbed still water underneath the surface, bringing up a foul odor.

    Emergency personnel at the Los Angeles Fire Department were also trying to track down the smell. But by mid-morning, little information was available, spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

    "LAFD is not aware of any specific hazard associated with the odor," Humphrey said in a fire department email alert.

    Read the original story on NBCLosAngeles.com

    The odor "has been sense across vast expanses of Southern California since early this morning," he wrote.

    At Rainbow Ridge Elementary School in Moreno Valley, the smell was particularly bad at about 7:15 a.m. Monday, Kymberlee Henry-Davis said in an email to NBC4.

    "All of the children were holding their noses," Henry-Davis wrote. "I even saw a child vomiting."

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  • Wildfire grows, chases thousands out of Southern Calif. forest

    Gene Blevins / Reuters

    An air tanker flies through thick smoke rising from the hills above San Gabriel mountains as a brush fire rages in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    A Southern California brushfire that was only five percent contained grew to 3,600 acres late Sunday, authorities said, forcing thousands of weekend campers to cut short their visits to the popular Angeles National Forest.

    The blaze, which broke out near a campground Sunday afternoon, sent a huge cloud of smoke that could be seen from the coast to the desert inland, according to The Associated Press.

    Forest spokeswoman L'Tanga Watson told the AP that campgrounds that typically attract up to 12,000 visitors on the three-day holiday weekend, as well as rehabilitation centers and the private community of Camp Williams Resort, above the city of Glendora, were evacuated.

    The fire has been labeled the "Williams fire" after the resort, which is located in the San Gabriel Mountains.

    Heavily-used recreation area
    The 640,000-acre Angeles National Forest is located near populated areas and consequently is heavily used, especially on holiday weekends.


    Local reports said that law enforcement during holiday weekends has long been a challenge in the Angeles National Forest.

    In addition to overnight campers, the forest attracts hikers and prospectors panning for gold in the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, despite prohibitions on such mining.

    Visitors are frequently cited by forest rangers for building illegal bonfires, local reports said.

    Officials said that no structures were threatened, according to Inciweb, a wildfire reporting site. Based on the direction the blaze is heading, no structures were expected to be under threat, the site said.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, around 300 firefighters have been sent to combat the blaze. Air tankers and helicopters were also being used to drop water and fire retardant on the blaze, the newspaper said.

    Full US News coverage on NBCNews.com

    By late Sunday, the fire was pushing north on steep terrain toward the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, the Times reported.

    Fleeing the flames
    Maritza Martinez told NBC Los Angeles     that she fled the area when she noticed smoke.

    "When we came up, we noticed a whole bunch of smoke and we started to notice something is burning and little by little the smoke started to grow," according NBCLosAngeles.com.

    "My little sister was like, 'Let's go! Let's go!,'" she said.

    More on this story from NBC Los Angeles

    For Catharine Vega, the blaze meant her holiday weekend trip was cut short.

    "I've never seen a real fire except on TV," she told NBC Los Angeles. "We stopped to see, and we saw actual flames and it was scary because we didn't know what to do."

    She added: "You come here to enjoy and we were having fun."

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Meatball-eating bear stalks Southern California neighborhood

    By msnbc.com staff

    A large black bear entered a La Crescenta, Calif. garage early Wednesday morning and dined on Costco meatballs, then returned later that evening, television station KTLA reported.


    Homeowner Joey Ball told the station that he heard noises around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. When he opened his garage door, he found the bear sitting next to the refrigerator, eating the meatballs and tuna.

    “He looked at me and I thought, ‘uh-oh!’ So I slammed the door and locked the dead bolt,” Ball told KTLA. “You could hear him eating, slapping his gums,” Ball added.

    As a KTLA camera crew was at the home to report the story that night, the bear tried to get back into the garage. The station captured footage of the bear in Ball’s backyard. The station spotted the bear rummaging through trash cans in the same neighborhood a few hours later.

    Neighbor Mark Edelstein told the station that his family doesn’t take their dog out for walks at night and for a while was not putting their trash cans out overnight.

    City officials are warning residents against leaving food out in the open and urges anyone who spots the bear to contact the police, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    La Crescenta is 15 miles north of Los Angeles.

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  • Strong winds start to pick up across Southern Calif.

    By msnbc.com

    With a forecast of winds up to 70 mph on Thursday and Friday, drivers and residents across Southern California were on their guard.

    Winds knocked over a big rig early Thursday in San Bernardino County below the Cajon Pass, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. No injuries were reported.

    While this week's winds could be a serious hazard, they weren't forecast to approach the magnitude of a storm on Nov. 30 that spawned gusts approaching 100 mph. In that storm, trees were toppled, power poles snapped, homes were damaged and electricity was cut to nearly 650,000 homes and businesses.

    This time around, northeast winds could reach 65 mph in many mountain areas and 40 mph in the valleys, the National Weather Service warned.

    Coverage by NBCLosAngeles.com

    High-wind warnings were in effect from 1 a.m. PT Thursday to 1 p.m. PT Friday in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, it said.

    Isolated gusts greater than 70 mph were possible below the Cajon and Banning passes in the Santa Ana Mountains, the weather service added.

    "The winds will make driving difficult, especially for motorists with high profile vehicles. ... Watch for broken tree limbs and downed power lines," it said.

    Southern California Edison on Wednesday night alerted customers to take precautions because of powerful winds that are expected to blow across Southern California, the LA Times reported.

    In the Pasadena area, one of the hardest hit by the November storm, crews are still clearing debris. "Work crews are working in 12-hour shifts," said city spokeswoman Ann Erdman. "They continue, night and day, to get the debris picked up. ... We have a ways to go."

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