A cold and windy week ahead in Southern California

Cold temperatures and powerful winds will sweep across Southern California this week, prompting warnings about potential damage.

The first dip in temperatures is expected to arrive Monday night when light rain could fall across the Los Angeles Basin, according to David Gomberg, a meteorologist in Oxnard with the National Weather Service. Temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday nights could drop into the 30s, accompanied by high winds.

“It’s definitely the coldest we’ve probably seen so far this season,” Gomberg said. “You could get some trees down. You could get some power outages.”

During the day, he said, temperatures will hover in the mid-50s to 60 degrees. On Tuesday night, the temperature in downtown Los Angeles is expected to hit a low of 39 degrees, while some areas in the valleys could drop into the low or mid-30s.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch for regions that could experience damaging blasts, including the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and the Los Angeles mountains.

Gusts are expected to reach 50 to 70 mph in some areas, and 40 to 55 mph for the coasts and valleys.

“The other areas of L.A., like the San Fernando Valley, the L.A. Basin, they’ll see quite a bit of wind as well,” Gomberg said, adding that the colder air is being ushered into the region from upper parts of the Midwest and Canada. “It just won’t be quite as strong.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also issued a cold weather alert for several areas, urging residents to take precautions to prepare for the cold. Areas under alert are:

• Santa Clarita Valley: Tuesday to Friday
• Lancaster (Antelope Valley): Monday to Friday
• Mt. Wilson (L.A. County Mountains): Monday to Friday
• San Gabriel: Tuesday to Thursday
• Pomona: Tuesday to Thursday
• Woodland Hills: Tuesday to Thursday
• Burbank: Wednesday to Thursday
• Downtown Los Angeles: Wednesday
• Malibu: Thursday

Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer, issued a reminder warning folks not to use stoves, barbecues or ovens to heat their homes because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather,” Davis said in a statement. “There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities.”