Winds dying down, but expect an evening chill in North County

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• Hearst Castle among homes, businesses without power

  Hearst Castle among homes, businesses without power

  UPDATE AT 2:20: Due to high winds and a power outage, Hearst Castle didn't open for tours today (Thursday), according to Nick Franco, superintendent of the State Parks district that includes Hearst Castle. Backup generators provided power, and Franco couldn't immediately tell whether grid power was back on when contacted Thursday afternoon.

  "There was just so much debris (from trees) coming down," Franco said of the decision not to open Thursday. "We expect to open Friday."

  The Cambria Fire Department, about eight miles south of the Castle, recorded a peak wind gust of 40 mph at 11:22 p.m.

• Wind causes power outages around SLO County

  Wind causes power outages around SLO County

  UPDATE 6:10 p.m. Tuesday: Nearly 200 PG&E customers lost power this afternoon as strong winds raked San Luis Obispo County.

  Tom Cuddy, a spokesman for the utility, said the winds caused tree limbs to fall into power lines, snapping them.

  Cambria had the most outages, but Cuddy said crews were aiming to restore power to customers there by early evening.

• Wild winds whip San Luis Obispo County

  Wild winds whip San Luis Obispo County

  Nearly 200 PG&E customers lost power Tuesday afternoon when strong winds raked San Luis Obispo County.

  Tom Cuddy, a spokesman for the utility, said the winds caused tree limbs to fall into power lines, snapping them.

  Cambria had the most outages, but Cuddy said crews were aiming to restore power to customers there by early evening.

• Week's winds were tough, but look at '77

  Week's winds were tough, but look at '77

  John Lindsey

  I knew it was bad when I saw the photographs of overturned semitrailers near Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. I was stunned to see concrete light poles cracked in half by the wind's force in Los Angeles County.

  Most of the time, Central Coast surfers, kayakers and beachgoers lovingly anticipate the arrival of the northeasterly (offshore) winds with the warmer temperatures and sparkling clear skies they often bring. During late fall and winter, coastal temperatures will often be warmer than the inland temperatures in the North County. However, like many things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. So it was last week with a strong offshore wind event.

• Week’s winds were tough, but look at ’77

  Week’s winds were tough, but look at ’77

  I knew it was bad when I saw the photographs of overturned semitrailers near Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. I was stunned to see concrete light poles cracked in half by the wind’s force in Los Angeles County.

  Most of the time, Central Coast surfers, kayakers and beachgoers lovingly anticipate the arrival of the northeasterly (offshore) winds with the warmer temperatures and sparkling clear skies they often bring. During late fall and winter, coastal temperatures will often be warmer than the inland temperatures in the North County. However, like many things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad. So it was last week with a strong offshore wind event.

  Winds are caused by air flowing from high pressure to low pressure, like air escaping from an inflated balloon. When an area of high pressure moves closer to a region of low pressure, the differential gives rise to stronger winds.