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Mountain Empire Schools Closed Due to High Wind Warning

NBC 7's First Alert Forecast showed isolated gusts of up to 90 mph were possible Tuesday for parts of San Diego County valleys and mountains

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A high wind warning in San Diego's mountains with isolated gusts of up to 90 mph led to the cancellation of classes in the Mountain Empire Unified School District Tuesday.

The San Diego County Office of Education confirmed schools in the MEUSD would be closed all day due to the high winds, which "make travel to and from school challenging, especially for high-profile vehicles such as school busses."

The MEUSD is the southeastern-most school district in San Diego County, serving schools in mountainous terrain. The district includes four elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, an Alternative Education Program and a Transition Program that serves Special Education students after high school.

The San Diego County Office of Education also cited power outages in Descanso, Guatay, Pine Valley and parts of Boulevard as another factor leading to the school closures.

Strong gusts caused a 75-year-old tree to topple over an Encinitas home, knocking down a power line along with it.

San Diego Gas & Electric's service map showed several power outages in those areas, totaling just under 1,600 customers in areas combined like Descanso, Pine Valley, Cuyamaca, Mount Laguna and Buckman Springs.

The National Weather Service said a high wind warning was in effect in San Diego County valleys and mountains until 4 p.m. Wednesday. A high wind advisory would immediately follow, in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 12 p.m. Thursday.

During the high wind warning, east winds were expected to reach between 30 and 40 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph. For the wind advisory, east winds were expected to reach between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph, according to the NWS.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, the fastest wind reported by the NWS was 106 mph on Sill Hill. Black Mountain saw gusts as fast as 87 mph, and winds in Descanso and Laguna registered faster than 70 mph.

The relentless winds will affect inland valleys, foothills and mountains.

Driving in the affected communities may also be difficult under the conditions.

As we head into the week, we’ll experience unseasonably warm temperatures, with Thursday being the hottest day of the week. That same high pressure that is driving the wind is also spiking temperatures in the county.

The high wind caused three semi-trucks to roll over in San Diego's East County from midnight to 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, all along Interstate 8 in the Buckman Springs and Alpine areas.

The San Diego County Office of Education said schools in the MEUSD would reopen Thursday.

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