Santa Ana winds blow through Ventura County with speeds reaching 65 mph

Santa Ana winds were blowing through Ventura County Thursday, downing at least one tree that crashed into a Simi Valley home and another that fell onto a street, crushing a car.

Northerly winds first hit eastern parts of the county Wednesday night but soon shifted, spreading to the rest of the county, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. High wind warnings were in effect for a large part of the county.

He expected winds to reach 45 to 65 mph with speeds peaking Thursday morning but decreasing by the afternoon. Wind speeds were expected to drop to the 25 to 45 range by Thursday night.

In Simi Valley, winds blew down a large tree onto a home on Cutler Street around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Assistant City Manager Samantha Argabrite said in a text message. No injuries were reported. A tree removal service was hauling away the tree Thursday morning, she said.

At around 11 a.m., a large tree fell on top of a parked car in the 2000 block of Heather Street, said Sgt. Matt Buchanan of the Simi Valley Police Department. The department posted photos on social media showing the scene. No injuries were reported.

On the Oxnard Plain, a powerline fell into the northbound slow lane on Pacific Coast Highway near Wood Road around 11 a.m., said Officer Jorge Alfaro with the California Highway Patrol. The site is near Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu.

Caltrans crews closed the lane until about 1:30 p.m. while Southern California Edison secured the powerlines, Alfaro said.

Wind conditions were anticipated to remain breezy through Friday afternoon, forecasters said.

This story may be updated.

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.