Winds begin to ease in Newport-Mesa

High winds that have been whipping through Orange County should

subside by later today, say forecasters at the National Weather Service.

Winds are expected to range from 15 to 25 mph in the morning and die

off more by the afternoon, said Brad Doyle, forecaster for the National

Weather Service.

“[Winds] will be significantly less than what they have been,” Doyle

said.

Santa Ana winds in February are not unusual, he said.

“It does happen; it’s not out of the ordinary,” Doyle said.

Temperatures today will range anywhere from about 70 degrees at the

coast to the low 80s inland, he said.

“Any time you have a Santa Ana wind event, the temperatures will be

higher than normal and the air will be drier than normal because the

winds are coming from the east and northeast,” Doyle said.

Nothing out of the ordinary as a result of the winds was reported in

Newport-Mesa. As they had on Saturday, flights into and out of John Wayne

Airport flew the opposite directions, a common practice during windy

conditions.