Powerful Wind Breaks Lamppost In Disneyland, Injuring Three People

Severe winds knocked over a lamppost at California's Disneyland, injuring three people. On Monday, Anaheim, California, received a high wind warning after gusts of 45 to 65 miles per hour were recorded.

Disneyland Wind Incident

(Photo : Getty Images/IAN LANGSDON)

As guests began to arrive at the 'happiest place on earth' in the morning, high winds toppled a lamppost on Disney's Main Street, injuring three parkgoers, according to Santa Ana Police Department Sergeant John McClintock.

The lamppost was situated in a flowerbed near the Disneyland flagpole, close to the park's main entrance.

One person was critically hurt and was brought to the hospital for treatment, while two other people were treated at the scene for lesser injuries.

It is unknown what types of injuries were incurred or the person's present status.

An hour later, Disney workers cordoned off the area and began removing the fallen portion of the pole, while a cherry picker was employed to stabilize and rebuild the lamppost.

While construction was going on, Disneyland News Today uploaded pictures of workers directing the crowds to use an alternate route into the park.

Workers were also seen fixing cables to other lampposts to prevent future mishaps throughout the windy day, according to the outlet.

On-stage park concerts scheduled for the rest of the day were also canceled owing to "inclement weather."

Read Also: Santa Ana Winds Bring Threat of Inferno and Property Damage in Southern California

Damages Of Strong Wind

A Cessna 172 parked at John Wayne Airport was also blown over by the strong wind.

This airplane was connected to the ground down there, parked, and the severe winds pulled it up and flipped it over this afternoon. No one was injured.

Officials at John Wayne Airport stated on X that operations at the airport were only temporarily halted.

Ten flights were diverted, as were eight departures and eight landings.

At least two other semi trucks blew over on the eastern valley roads as the Santa Ana winds raged across the mountains.

While gusts in inland Orange County reached 60 mph, winds howled above 80 mph in the Santa Ana Mountains, with a peak gust of 89 mph at Santiago Peak, according to the NWS in San Diego.

As the Santa Ana wind pattern persisted, high wind warnings and wind advisories were issued across much of Southern California on Monday and Tuesday morning.

In the fall and winter, as chilly domes of high pressure sink into the interior West, the Santa Ana winds are a common annoyance in Los Angeles and Southern California.

"There is typically a strong high pressure that parks itself over the Great Basin, and you have a complimentary low pressure off of the California Coast, and that creates a really strong gradient," John Abatzoglou, an associate professor of climatology at the University of California Merce.

Stronger occurrences can produce gusts of 80 mph or more.

The dry, offshore winds can further exacerbate fire conditions by lowering humidity levels, making fire starts simpler, and fanning any wildfires that are already burning in the area.