A windstorm that fanned brushfires, toppled trees and left thousands of Californians without power focused its remaining energy Wednesday on the southern end of the state, where forecasters warned of the additional threat of heavy rain and flash flooding.
Strong winds that began Tuesday night reached 50 mph in many areas. Hurricane-force gusts of around 85 mph hit a mountain area in San Diego County and came with about a half-inch of rain in some locations.
The winds were tapering off by sunset in many areas although high-wind warnings remained in place until 10 p.m. in San Bernardino and Riverside counties and inland areas of Orange County.
In addition, a low-pressure system moving across northern Baja California was expected to draw subtropical moisture into the region during the night, the National Weather Service said.