Nearly 24,000 Southern Californians are without power this morning after strong winds created havoc, toppling poles and power lines.
More than 21,000 customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were without power, including more than 3,000 in the Exposition Park area. Another 2,200 in the Vermont Square neighborhood are also without power according to the DWP.
1,800 customers in El Sereno and a little over 1,000 more in Rancho Park are also without power.
DWP officials are asking customers to remain patient while they deal with the outages as crews work "around the clock" to restore power.
The National Weather Service says gusts of nearly 60 mph have been blowing through the Southland, felling several trees and branches, which then take down the power lines. A traffic light pole snapped at its base in Downtown Los Angeles thanks to the gusty winds.
The gusty north wind may persist around some areas of the Southland through late Friday night, and could give way to a more moderate northeast wind on Saturday according to the National Weather Service.
A high wind warning for the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles and Ventura counties remain in effect until 9 am.
The NWS said today's winds could make travel difficult for high profile vehicles on Interstate 5, Antelope Valley Freeway, and Pearblossom Highway.