Gusty winds reaching nearly 100 miles per hour toppled trees and shattered windows across Southern California last night. Although Santa Ana winds and winds from intense winter storms course through Southern California every year, such widespread damage is unusual. It is not, however, unprecedented, as the photos below from the USC Libraries's Los Angeles Examiner Collection show.

William Randolph Hearst founded the Los Angeles Examiner in 1903. It became one of the city's highest-circulation daily newspapers. In 1962 it merged with the Herald-Express to form the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. Explore more images from the Examiner collection in the USC Digital Library. 

Strong winds uprooted this 75-foot black acacia in Santa Monica on March 20, 1952.

Passersby stop to look at shattered windows at Broadway and 9th in downtown Los Angeles on March 1, 1952

A windstorm on April 30, 1951 knocked down this oil derrick in Signal Hill.

Children play on a downed tree at Converse and Gage in South Los Angeles on March 1, 1952.

Strong winds felled these telephone poles in Long Beach on March 15, 1952.

Ralph and Cora McKillin look at a tree felled by Santa Ana winds in front of their Pasadena home on December 7, 1951.

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A rare tornado destroyed this wooden garage at Broadway and Third in Santa Monica on March 16, 1952.

Winds beached this boat on the Santa Monica shorline on March 1, 1952.

 

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