Santa Ana Winds

Courtesy: National Weather Service

Late Autumn and early winter can be a season of high winds for California and much of the southwest. Recently, this proved true as winds up to 140 mph were recorded in California's Sierra Crest mountain ridge on Thursday. The strong winds hit lower elevations; more than 450 power lines were toppled by strong winds in Los Angeles county, according to a county fire inspector.

An area of low pressure over southern Arizona and strong high pressure over the northern Rockies/Pacific Northwest drove the strong east/northeasterly winds. Click here for video of this event.