Hurricane-force winds are fanning the flames of wildfires in Southern California. What are Santa Ana winds?

At least five Wildfires devastate Southern Californiaand the three largest — where containment is at 0% — have already killed at least two people, burned thousands of acres and prompted the evacuation of about 70,000 residents. Santa Ana winds coupled with dry conditions have created the perfect storm for the fires to spread.

Hurricane-force winds have fanned the flames of the Palisades Fire, which is currently burning on the western side of Los Angeles County in coastal communities such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The winds are also pushing embers from the Eaton Fire, which has affected the cities of Pasadena and Altadena in northeastern LA County.

What are Santa Ana winds?

According to the National Weather Service, Santa Ana winds flow from east to west through the mountains of Southern California. They begin when winds from the desert move westward into a low pressure area near the coast like LA

The winds typically arise between September and May in the Great Basin of the United States. According to Dr. According to Robert Fovell, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA, this area east of California is higher than Los Angeles, and as the air sinks, so does the temperature.

These winds occur more frequently in the colder months when the desert air is cool. As wind height decreases and temperature increases, humidity also decreases, resulting in dryness. Vegetation can dry out and forest fires can start, with wind fanning the flames.

How do Santa Ana winds affect wildfires in Southern California?

On Monday, the National Weather Service forecast strong winds in Santa Ana for LA through Friday, with the strongest gusts likely to down power lines arriving on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to CBS Los Angeles meteorologist Paul Deanno, wind gusts peaked at over 75 miles per hour on Wednesday. Another gust of wind was forecast in Santa Ana on Friday, and another followed on Sunday, according to the weather service.

“Everyone needs to know that they are in danger because of these embers that are blowing from these once-in-a-decade winds that are blowing through our area, and they are still blowing,” said Mark, assignment editor for CBS News Los Angeles Liu reported on Wednesday about the Palisades fire.

As the winds increased, so did the flames, and Cal Fire reported that the extreme gusts posed a problem for firefighters, who have not yet contained any portion of the three largest fires.

The storms and fires not only fueled the fires but also caused them Power outages for more than 1.54 million Homes and businesses in California were under construction Wednesday afternoon, according to utility PowerOutage.us.

SoCal Edison said Wednesday afternoon that about 173,000 customers in Southern California were without power due to public safety shutdowns, a strategy sometimes used by utilities to prevent sparking on the grid Forest fires. Safety shutdowns for an additional 425,000 customers were also being considered.

California also experiences frequent droughts, which contribute to the risk of wildfires. In September, California Gov. Gavin Newson lifted the drought state of emergency in 19 counties, including several in Southern California. However, many areas of the state are still classified as “unusually dry” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Southern California hasn’t received more than 0.1 inch of rain since early May, the Associated Press reported. This and the strong winds contributed to the spread of the massive fires.

Wildfire evacuations in Southern California

At least 70,000 residents near the three major fires have to be evacuated. The Palisades Fire has burned at least 15,832 acres as of Wednesday, while the Eaton Fire has burned at least 10,600 acres. The Hurst fire, which broke out near Sylmar on Wednesday, has burned 505 hectares of land.

According to the evacuation map, people in red zones are subject to an evacuation order and are required to evacuate. People in orange zones are subject to an evacuation warning and should prepare to leave at any time, according to officials.

The fires destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and reported several injuries. At least two civilians died in the Eaton fire.