Winds to Whip Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

April 7,2013; 4:20PM,EDT

Winds strong enough to down power lines and trees, and bring the potential for property damage and hazards to motorists will soon threaten the Southwest.
Many areas from Southern California and Nevada to Arizona and New Mexico are going to be affected with the strongest winds set to howl on Monday.
The highest wind gusts on Monday, between 50 and 70 mph, will whip southern Nevada, the deserts of Southern California, eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.
Las Vegas and Tucson, Ariz., are among the communities in this zone.

Downtown Los Angeles remains under a wind advisory where gusts up to 35 mph are expected.
North of Los Angeles, including the cities of Santa Barbara and Montecito, are under a high wind warning through early on Tuesday morning. Here, winds will frequently gust to 65 mph with isolated gusts up to 80 mph possible in the Montecito Hills.
Farther east, winds could gust to 50 mph in Phoenix Monday afternoon.

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The strongest winds on Monday can bring down power lines and trees, and bring the potential for property damage.
For most of the effected area, the high winds will have the potential to make driving conditions difficult at times, especially with high-profile vehicles.
Blowing dust could restrict visibilities, also making for difficult driving conditions.
Winds are expected to increase on Sunday night and continue through the evening on Monday.
The strongest winds are expected during the day on Monday.

Winds will start off coming out of the west and then will shift to a northwesterly direction during the day on Monday.
Other precautionary measures that can be taken include securing trash cans and other loose and lightweight outdoor objects that could be blown around by this wind.
The high winds coming to the area will be created by a low pressure over the Northwest on Sunday. This storm will be dipping into the Southwest on Sunday night, before moving into the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

The storm will then trigger a blizzard in Denver and Cheyenne.