Wind advisory for Big Bear Valley: gusts up to 55 mph, isolated 65 mph, through Thursday morning

The National Weather Service office in San Diego issued a Wind Advisory on October 21 at 10:30 PM that covers the San Bernardino County Mountains and the Apple and Lucerne Valleys below^[1]. The San Bernardino County Mountains zone includes Big Bear Valley. South winds of 20 to 30 mph are forecast, with gusts up to 55 mph and isolated gusts to 65 mph, and the advisory stays in effect until 6 AM PDT Thursday, October 22^[1]. For residents, that means loose patio items, trash cans and holiday decorations can become projectiles overnight, and fallen limbs or a brief power outage could affect the morning commute and home routines.

What the Weather Service expects

The advisory's impacts section is brief. According to the NWS, "Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result."^[1]

In plain terms, the forecast calls for ordinary windstorm trouble rather than anything more extreme. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are strong enough to be noticeable, while the gusts are what pose the greater risk to trees and power lines. The forecast of isolated gusts to 65 mph means some spots could see noticeably stronger wind than others^[1].

Timing and area

The advisory was issued late Wednesday night, October 21, and runs until 6 AM PDT Thursday^[1]. The NWS lists the affected area as Apple and Lucerne Valleys and the San Bernardino County Mountains^[1]. The advisory text does not break out conditions for individual communities within that zone, so wind speeds in Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Fawnskin, Sugarloaf and Baldwin Lake may differ from the zone-wide forecast. Because the advisory was issued late at night and ends early Thursday, it may have expired by the time you read this.

What's missing

The advisory is the only source for this story. It does not say when during the overnight window the strongest gusts are expected, and it offers no guidance beyond the impacts listed above. No utility or emergency-management statement on outages or damage was available.

Updated forecasts and any changes to the advisory are posted by the NWS San Diego office, which issued the alert^[1].