Locals tough out winds; no major damages seen

Newport-Mesa residents were urged to drive cautiously and watch out for broken tree limbs, blown dust and downed power lines Thursday, as the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory notice to coastal Orange County following powerful Santa Ana gusts overnight.

The advisory, which the National Weather Service posted online early Thursday morning, warned offshore winds could blow as hard as 35 miles per hour around the region and 50 miles per hour around the Santa Ana River. The winds were expected to taper off later Thursday.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa got their share of hard winds overnight, but officers for both cities’ police departments said damage had been minimal.

“We’ve kind of been monitoring that, and there’s nothing down,” said Lt. Jeff Lu of the Newport Beach Police Department Thursday morning.

“No major traffic accidents, no power down yet.”

— Michael Miller