Recently, there has been an onslaught of catastrophic weather conditions in Southern California, one of which you are most likely familiar with. They are the two Los Angeles wildfires known as the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire.
Los Angeles has burned down because of the two tragic fires, causing the evacuation of many citizens, and many people have lost their homes and even their lives.
They have been hailed as the fourth and second most dangerous wildfires in California.
Not only that, but there has been a very strong, disruptive, and catastrophic windstorm in Southern California doing nearly the same amount of damage.
It is an annual series of winds known as the “Santa Ana winds.”
The Santa Ana winds, or sometimes referred to as the devils winds, are a yearly occurrence in Southern California, usually happening around fall or winter.
They originate from high-pressure air masses over the Great Basin and upper Mojave Desert.
Depending on the weather, the winds are either humid and dry, or unbearably chilly and cold.
As described by Northeastern climatologist Lindsay Lawrence, “The Santa Ana winds are humid, strong, and dry winds that warm as they descend a mountain slide.”
The winds began on January 7. They not only brought extreme pressure, but they were also the cause of the Los Angeles wildfires spreading as far as they did.
The winds blew the fire into multiple neighborhoods and multiple different directions, causing extreme chaos and many to lose their lives.
The fires were already bad enough on their own, but they were even more so due to the Santa Ana winds.
But it wasn’t only the wildfires, the winds themselves were extremely potent and extremely dangerous as well.
When the winds occurred, there were reports of trees in peoples backyards, pools, and even homes. There were also reports of parts of peoples sheds flying off, things flying into their window, and other sorts of surprising events.
Not only that, but the wind itself even reportedly killed two people.
Both the windstorm and wildfires were predicted to happen by the Nation Fire Interagency Center (NIFC), as well as many climatologists and weather outlets.
Due to the damage the winds caused, there were power outages all across the state, with some lasting only a few hours, with some lasting weeks. The power outages began on Tuesday, January 7, due to the threat that the winds gave due to a large number of power companies.
In addition, a large majority of schools in Southern California were closed on Wednesday January 8 as a result.
Though schools have resumed since then, it is highly likely that schools could potentially be canceled on future days, since the weather has shown little to no sign of waning,
Aside from that, on Wednesday, January 15, the National Fire Interagency Center (NIFC) gave an announcement that the fires are most likely going to continue to grow, largely because of the Santa Ana winds.
Though the fire and winds will continue to wreak havoc across Southern California, we must hold on out and keep those affected by this furious and ferocious weather in our prayers.