Pasadena:
Thousands of Southern Californians who have gone without power for five days are being told it's almost over, though a new round of high wind warnings have been issued for some areas hard hit by last week's ferocious windstorm.
The National Weather Service warnings are in effect through Tuesday afternoon for gusts of up to 97 kmph below mountain passes and in canyons.
Some coastal and inland desert areas could see 80 kmph gusts.
There also are red flag warnings in some areas because of high fire danger from gusty, dry weather.
However, the winds won't be as strong as last week, when gusts of nearly 161 kmph were recorded. Those winds toppled power lines and trees and fanned small fires.
Some 300,000 people lost power. Some remain blacked out, but Southern California Edison said "99.9 per cent" of customers who lost electricity will have it back today.
Utility crews took advantage of calm weather yesterday and worked to restore power to about 42,000 customers who remained without power in the afternoon, spokesman Charles Coleman said in a statement.
Some of the still powerless were skeptical.
"We've heard everywhere from tomorrow to Wednesday to next week," Kristine Aguirre of Temple City told KABC-TV. Coleman said the areas hardest hit were cities in the Pasadena area east of Los Angeles like Temple City, Arcadia, Monrovia and Alhambra.
"It was horrible," said AnnMarie Trudeau, whose Monrovia condominium was without power for four days. "I ended up staying at my parents' because I'm wimpy."