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Cool, Windy Weather Forecast for Southland

A cold low-pressure system will bring winds, high surf and lower temperatures, forecasters said.

A cold low-pressure system will bring the Southland just one day of unsettled weather today, including fierce winds, high surf and lower temperatures, forecasters said.

But the lion's share of the moisture packed in the system, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, will remain east of the Southland, along with most of the system's greatest manifestations of instability, meaning that the threat of thunderstorms in Southern California is slight, according to the National Weather Service.

NWS forecasters said wind gusts of between 50 and 60 miles per hour are expected in the mountains and deserts while 40-mph gusts whip through coastal and valley areas.

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The strongest winds, possibly attended by 65-mph gusts, will occur in the Antelope Valley and the Los Angeles and Ventura county portions of the San Gabriel Mountains, according to the NWS.

Such strong winds pack the power to knock down power lines, tree limbs and high-profile vehicles while churning up so much dust as to reduce visibility significantly, according to NWS forecasters, who warned that gusty cross winds could wreak havoc on Interstate 5, the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway and state Route 138.

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A high wind warning, indicating a hazardous wind event is occurring or impending, will be in effect from 10 a.m. today until midnight in the Antelope Valley and from 10 a.m. today until 4 a.m. Wednesday in the mountains of L.A. and Ventura counties, excluding the Santa Monicas.

A less serious wind advisory will go into effect at 1 p.m. and remain in force until midnight in metropolitan Los Angeles and along the Los Angeles County coast, including Santa Catalina Island, and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Orange County.

Additionally, gale-force winds, roughly in the 45-mph range, will blow across costal waters, "generating seas in excess of 10 feet at very short intervals near shore," according to an NWS advisory. A gale warning will be in effect until late tonight.

Also in effect will be a high surf advisory, from 2 p.m. today until 8 a.m. Wednesday. NWS forecasters said the surf would start out at between two and four feet but grow to between five and eight feet, producing "very strong currents and dangerous swimming conditions." West-facing beaches could experience 10-feet sets, according to the NWS.

The NWS forecast highs today, under mostly cloudy skies, of 43 on Mount Wilson; 58 in Saugus, Avalon, Palmdale and at LAX; 59 in Lancaster; 60 in Long Beach, Newport Beach, Burbank and Woodland Hills; 61 in downtown L.A., Pasadena and San Gabriel; and 62 in Anaheim. Wednesday's temperatures will be a few degrees higher, and bright sunshine is expected.

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