Winds Keep Crowds Home, Injure Glider

Unpredictably gusty winds on Sunday ruined many plans for a day at the beach, buffeted cars on the freeway and contributed to a serious hang glider accident at Torrey Pines glider park.

Charles T. Blanchette of Utah was badly injured when a strong gust caught his hang glider while he was trying to land, slamming him face down into the ground at 3:40 p.m., according to authorities.

Blanchette, 42, was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital with massive head injuries, a compound fracture of the right femur, back and neck injuries and internal injuries, city lifeguards said. He was listed in serious condition Sunday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The strong winds produced few problems otherwise, except for dashing recreational plans for sailing, swimming and sunning.

‘Maybe Two People’

“It’s enough to sandblast your body when you’re lying out there,” said Wally Buckingham, a San Diego lifeguard, who noted that while Memorial Day weekend usually means large crowds celebrating the start of summer, the weather kept the beach attendance down to “maybe two people.”

Sharon Hudson of the San Diego Harbor Police said: “It’s been pretty quiet. The gale-force winds are keeping everybody at home.”

Lifeguards elsewhere in the county, from Oceanside to the Silver Strand, reported similarly small crowds, with few beach-goers willing to brave the high surf.

Gusts of 30 to 35 m.p.h. blasted the county throughout the day, with the strongest gust, at 5:30 a.m., clocked at 40 m.p.h., according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned that high winds and occasional gusts of up to 60 m.p.h. were expected in the deserts and mountains Sunday night.

Today’s weather, however, should be mostly clear and sunny, with decreasing winds.

“You should see mostly sunny skies and a little warmer temperatures,” said meteorologist Janice Roth of Weatherdata Inc. “It will still be breezy, though, with winds of 15 to 25 m.p.h., and it will still be quite chilly for a day at the beach.”

Roth said high temperatures at the beaches will be 65 to 70 degrees today and Tuesday. The rest of the coastal strip will have highs of 67 to 72 degrees today, climbing to 68 to 72 on Tuesday, with overnight lows of 52 to 57.

Inland temperatures will reach 70 to 75 degrees today and 75 to 80 Tuesday. Lows will be 45 to 53.

In the mountains, northerly winds will continue at about 25 to 35 m.p.h., with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s today and Tuesday.

The deserts will remain breezy as well, with northwestern winds of 15 to 35 m.p.h. and high temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees. Lows will be in the 50s today and Tuesday.