High Winds and Smoke
45 miles an hour peak sunday
All night high winds suddenly rattling the windows and mini slaming of closed doors in the house. Not much sleep and that fitfull.
This morning those seven inches by 24 inch asbestos shingles all over the driveway and a tree limb down just next door. Any car under it would have been hurt.
This afternoon heavy smoke and the sun a cherry in the western sky, obscured by smoke. The smoke so heavy iright now I hate breatihng it. Ashes in your eyes occasionally and smoke obscuruing the mountains at the end of town. occasional puffs of ash fall like large snowflakes.
The fire is probably ten to thirty miles away. that is there are several centers. No danger to us because when we chose this house we rejected one on the edges of the city because of the posssibility of brush fire.
I have those electronic air filters running in three rooms, and the rooms more or les sealed. The smoke is pretty noxious.
one hour and thirty minutes later
sitting in my car waiting for my wife and the car suddenly lurched. shocked me. Just an errant wind gust. smoke is affecting the back of my throat. The light is odd and yellow and muted.
the santa anna winds arrve again.
Monday
there are treel imbs down all over.
the winds continue. There is a steady wind I estimate at at least 25 mile an hour and then the occasional gust sot hat you are driving and suddenly the car is caught and moved. Not generally much but its starteling and in some cases apparantly more. there are wrecks all along the freeway.
the floor of my shower and the ledge above it are sprinkled in black ash. I didnt know that window was open.
Just now coming out of a store I was astonished at the force of the wind. I thought that the 70 foot sycamore just outside was going over. As I took a step the wind caught my foot and actually blew it up and forward. I thought for a second I was going to go down. I won’t estimate the speed of that but it was fierce and I suspect well above 45 miles per hour.
there isn’t as much smoke in the air today though.