BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

-- Deepa Bharath

High winds blew through Newport-Mesa on Tuesday, clocking in at 34

miles per hour at John Wayne Airport.

Although a wind advisory was up beginning Monday night until noon

today for Orange County coastal areas, the winds have not caused much

damage in the area.

The only known incident that could have been caused by the wind

involved a boat breaking away from its mooring at the Balboa Yacht Club

in Corona del Mar.

The 40-foot boat drifted a short distance into the bay, but Orange

County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol officers brought it back to the shore

within a matter of minutes. Nobody was on board, authorities said.

The windy conditions are not likely to cause any damage locally, said

Brandt Maxwell, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San

Diego.

“These gusts are big enough for people to look up and notice the wind

blowing,” he said. “But it’s not big enough to be destructive.”

The mild weather is due partially to the warm Santa Ana winds that

originate in the desert, said Maxwell. The winds combined with bright

sunshine will keep it mild through the week.

Maxwell said although windy conditions are pretty normal for this time

of the year, there have been more windy days than usual this winter. That

is largely because of a change in weather patterns.