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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Santa Ana winds will gust across much of the Southland starting this morning and continuing into Saturday, potentially causing hazardous driving conditions for trucks and other high-profile vehicles.
``Northeast winds will start to increase Friday morning across the L.A. Mountains and L.A./Ventura valleys then quickly spread down through the Highway 14 and Highway 126 corridors into the valleys and coastal areas, with gusts to 45 mph possible,'' according to the National Weather Service.
``Additional strengthening of offshore flow and upper support Friday night into early Saturday will result in gusts to or locally exceeding 60 mph, especially in the mountains and higher portions of the L.A./Ventura valleys. Peak winds are expected to occur between midnight and 8 a.m. Saturday but only slight weakening through the morning.''
The NWS issued wind advisories that will be in effect from 9 a.m. today to 3 p.m. Saturday for Los Angeles County mountains; from 11 a.m. today to 3 p.m. Saturday for the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys; and from 1 p.m. today to 3 p.m. Saturday for the coastal area, including downtown Los Angeles.
Forecasters said the coastal area will see winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, while the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys will have winds of 20 to 30 mph, gusting up to 50 mph.
``Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles,'' forecasters said.
According to the NWS, the windy conditions could stretch into Sunday.
The high winds are not expected to prompt any red flag or fire warnings, thanks to anticipated humidity levels of 25% or more and the recent rains.