The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk

With winds roaring as high as 80 miles an hour in places such as Palomar Mountain, SDG&E earlier this week initiated Public Safety Power Shutoffs that de-energize circuits in areas to help ensure that gusts don’t knock down power lines and possibly start a fire when they hit the ground.

Devastating fires in the Los Angeles region are driven by Santa Ana winds blowing from California and Nevada’s interior deserts to the Pacific Ocean.

At least five wildfires are ravaging Southern California, and the three largest have already killed at least five people, burned tens of thousands of acres and prompted the evacuation of an estimated 179,

The Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires covered more than 5,600 acres of Southern California as of Wednesday morning. Tens of thousands were under mandatory evacuation orders but the fires increased in size overnight, helped by the blustery Santa Ana winds.

The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index is warning Southern Californians of high risk conditions this week. Winds will increase on Tuesday, likely peaking Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, then weakening some on Thursday. It will be critically dry, and fire danger will be high. Be prepared.

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

Damaging winds, downed trees, power outages and raging wildfires. Santa Ana winds can lead to all of these and more, potentially leading to life-threatening conditions. Knowing what Santa Ana winds are and what to do could save your life.

High pressure in the Great Basin and low pressure over northern Baja California, plus a very strong jet stream roaring southwestward over SoCal is enhancing the surface Santa Ana winds. What is making these winds so unprecedented?