"The gusts that pummeled the western San Gabriel Valley, including Pasadena and La Cañada-Flintridge, were produced by two separate weather systems that channeled cold air from the north into the L.A. area."
"The winds reached 97 mph at one mountain peak. More than 380,000 homes lost power. Thousands of trees snapped, blocking roads and damaging property. Scores of schools were closed, as was Griffith Park. And motorists battled gridlock caused by broken traffic signals and blowing debris.
The storm, which produced some of the strongest wind gusts in more than a decade, was caused by a highly unusual weather system that even had experts marveling at its power.
While Santa Ana winds are common this time of year, this storm was anything but."
Hector Becerra, Matt Stevens, and Rong-Gong Lin II report for the Los Angeles Times December 2, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Violent Wind Storm Leaves Path of Destruction" (AP)
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