High winds expected into Friday in Central Coast mountains
High winds are creating a bit of a hassle for many on the Central Coast living up in the hills and mountains.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for residents in those areas.
It was a windy day in the Scotts Valley neighborhoods, but a few boys thought it was still good enough to go biking outside.
“So when I was biking up this hill, the wind pushed really hard and my hat flew off and I had to go into the road and get it,” one boy said. “It’s just been really windy in the last two days.”
“We’ve been hiking around the creek and it’s been so windy,” said another boy. “Like a bunch of nuts from the trees have been falling on our heads.”
The wind advisory mainly covers areas above 1,000 feet, but many below that altitude are experiencing strong winds.
“It’s windy, I feel it, I feel my hairs blowing a little bit, haha yeah,” said Tommie Edwards, a manager of a Shell gas station in Scotts Valley.
Certain areas can expect winds up to 30 miles per hour with gusts reaching 55 mph. Places like Scotts Valley, which is up in the mountains, get a taste of the windy weather, and the farther up you go the worse it gets.
Driving a tall vehicle or pulling a trailer can dangerous, and gusts can also bring down trees and power lines causing outages.
“You know, it makes us busier. We end up with a lot of trees and wires down,” said John Walbridge, a battalion chief at the Central Fire Protection District. “Obviously, the boaters and the people out in the ocean are dealing a little more of a rough seas.”
Firefighters say in terms of fires, winds always play a critical role. But luckily, the other elements are helping now.
“Overall, the fire danger, just because of the recent rains and the higher humidities and the higher fuel moistures, has kind of dropped our fire risk down compared to November and October,” said Walbridge.
Some residents do say they have been dealing with falling branches and debris around their homes.
“Certainly, you want to have the dead and dying vegetation that’s on or over your house cleaned up for not only the fire risk, but also for your own safety,” said Walbridge. “You don’t want anything falling on you or your home.”
“We’ve had a thorough job done of the property, all the trees that were trimmed above the canopy and all that stuff too, so we’re doing OK right now as far as any branches fall,” said Edwards.
The wind advisory is in effect until Friday morning at 4 a.m.
