Strong winds returning to Southern California, rain possible

LOS ANGELES — Strong winds will whip across the Southland today, and both showers and thunderstorms could douse the region tonight, forecasters said.

A wind advisory now in effect in the San Gabriel Mountains in L.A. and Ventura counties is scheduled to expire at 10 a.m. Thursday. A wind advisory will be in force from 1 a.m. today until 9 a.m. Thursday in the Antelope Valley, and from 1 p.m. today until 3 a.m. Thursday on Santa Catalina Island.

West winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour along with gusts in the 50-mph range are expected in both the mountains and the Antelope Valley, while on Santa Catalina, the wind will blow at between 20 and 30 mph, gusting to 40 mph.

Winds were expected even where no wind advisory was declared -- 15 to 25 mph in the San Feando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita valleys and 10 to 20 mph with 35-mph gusts along the coast and in metropolitan Los Angeles.

Also in the forecast was a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening and after midnight. Around the Greater L.A. area, the chance of measurable precipitation ranged from 20 to 40 percent.

The NWS forecast partly skies today and highs of 60 on Mount Wilson; 63 in Avalon; 65 in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach; 66 in San Clemente; 67 at LAX and in Mission Viejo; 68 in Palmdale, Lancaster and Irvine; 69 in Fullerton and Anaheim; 70 in Long Beach, Burbank and downtown L.A.; 71 in Saugus, Pasadena, San Gabriel and Woodland Hills; and 72 in Yorba Linda.

Temperatures will remain at the same level until Tuesday, when they will rise several degrees.