Windy Day For Coachella Valley And All Of Southern California

A wind advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service, today, as high winds whip up sand and dust throughout the Coachella Valley.

But the big story could be along the coast.

A big surf and a high tide due tonight prompted the National Weather Service to warn of the possibility of coastal flooding.

The dry, low-pressure system that swept across California has produced waves up to about 8 feet, and a high tide forecast for tonight could cause flooding in low-lying coastal areas, according to the NWS.

Gale warning for winds greater than 35 mph were posted today for Santa Monica Bay and the San Pedro Channel, where swells are 7-9 feet.

The unstable springtime weather moved across California overnight, dropping sprinkles in northern Los Angeles County and snow in the higher elevations. Winds blasted through the mountains at sustained speeds of about 30 mph, with gusts clocked around 50 mph, according to the NWS.

A forecast for an inch of snow, and early morning wind chill readings of 17 degrees greeted people in the mountains of Los Angeles today, a third of the way into the month of May.

The highest gust was clocked at 47 mph at Camp Nine, north of Pacoima. Sustained winds of 31 mph were where measured along the Golden State (5) Freeway at Newhall Pass.

Farther north, the Sandberg weather station near the Grapevine measured zero visibility in blowing fog, and a wind-chill index of 17 degrees, at 7 a.m.

In the Los Angeles basin and Orange County coastal plains, cool temperatures and winds gusting to 25 mph were forecast.