captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it is one of the most unusual things nature does on this planet and it s going on right now across a vast area out west. the weather in this country, with few exceptions, travels from west to east. that s why it takes longer to fly new york to l.a. than l.a. to new york. but what s happening tonight is one of those exceptions and one of those rare weather events. the winds are blowing over land from east to west, and in some cases, they have reached 140 miles per hour over land. these are the santa ana winds and then some. a strong, intense, severe system we haven t seen the likes of since the 1990s. it s causing big problems, risking lives and it s on the move. we begin tonight with miguel almaguer in pasadena. good evening. reporter: brian, good evening. these are some of the most powerful winds to hit this area. the city of pasadena took a beating. folks that live here are told to stay home if their home isn t
from east to west, and in some cases, they have reached 140 miles per hour over land. these are the santa ana winds and then some. a strong, intense, severe system we haven t seen the likes of since the 1990s. it s causing big problems, risking lives and it s on the move. we begin tonight with miguel almaguer in pasadena. good evening. reporter: brian, good evening. these are some of the most powerful winds to hit this area. the city of pasadena took a beating. folks that live here are told to stay home if their home isn t damaged. this wind-driven event isn t over yet. the notorious santa ana winds took down hundreds of trees and toppled power poles. in los angeles, downed electrical lines sparked brush fires and fear even a small blaze could fuel a massive wind-driven fire. first responders dispatched to a new call every 12 seconds. we were losing shingles off the roof. rain gutter came flying off. it was nuts. reporter: in pasadena, the city declared an emergency. sc