Hurricane force winds are fanning the flames of the Southern California wildfires. What are Santa Ana winds?
At least five wildfires are ravaging Southern California, and the three largest — which are at 0% containment — 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, currently burning on the west side of Los Angeles County in coastal communities including Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The winds are also blowing the embers of the Eaton Fire, which is impacting the cities of Pasadena and Altadena in northeast L.A. County.
What are Santa Ana winds?
Santa Ana winds flow east to west through Southern California's mountains, according to the National Weather Service. They begin when winds from the desert flow westward toward an area of low pressure, near the coast, like L.A.
The winds usually originate in the Great Basin of the United States between September and May. This area, east of California, is at a higher elevation than L.A., and as the air drops, its temperature rises, according to Dr. Robert Fovell, a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
These winds are more common in colder months when the desert air is cool. As the winds drop in altitude and increase in temperature, they also drop in humidity, causing a dryness. Vegetation can dry out and wildfires can start, with the winds fanning the flames.
How are Santa Ana winds impacting Southern California wildfires?
On Monday, the National Weather Service forecasted a strong Santa Ana winds event for L.A. through Friday, with the strongest gusts, which were likely to down power lines, arriving Tuesday and Wednesday,
Wind gusts peaked at over 75 mph Wednesday, according to CBS Los Angeles meteorologist Paul Deanno. And another bout of Santa Ana winds was forecast for Friday, with another on its tail 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 just once-in-a-decade winds that are coming through our area, and they're still blowing," CBS News Los Angeles assignment editor Mark Liu reported Wednesday of the Palisades Fire.
As the winds picked up, so did the flames and Cal Fire reported the extreme gusts were posing a problem for firefighters, which have yet to contain any portion of the three biggest fires.
The windstorms and fires not only fueled the fires but also caused power outages for more than 1.54 million California homes and businesses as of Wednesday afternoon, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
SoCal Edison said Wednesday afternoon that about 173,000 customers in Southern California were without electricity due to public safety shutoffs, a strategy sometimes employed by power companies to prevent the grid from sparking wildfires. It was also considering power safety shutoffs for another 425,000 customers.
Drought is also very common in California and contributes to wildfire risk. 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 considered "abnormally dry" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Southern California hasn't received more than 0.1 inches of rain since early May, the Associated Press reported. This combined with the strong winds have contributed to the spread of the massive fires.
Wildfire evacuations in Southern California
At least 70,000 residents near the three major fires are under evacuation orders. The Palisades Fire has burned at least 15,832 acres as of Wednesday, while the Eaton Fire had burned at least 10,600 acres. The Hurst Fire, which began near Sylmar on Wednesday, has burned 505 acres.
According to the evacuation map, those in red zones are under an evacuation order and are required to evacuate. Those in orange zones are under an evacuation warning and should prepare to leave at any time, per officials.
More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed and several injuries have been reported as a result of the fires. At least two civilians have died in the Eaton Fire.
