A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning has been issued for Southern California as a powerful and potentially damaging Santa Ana wind event​ is expected.
President Donald Trump will visit southern California this week amid looming winds and threats of new flames with tens of thousands of acres torched and buildings destroyed, according to reports.
Meteorologists said there was a chance the winds would be as severe as those that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires, but that different locations would likely be affected.
The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada
The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.
Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at
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Katabatic winds? Adiabatic compression? Time for a thermodynamics lesson! The record lack of rain has also made this Santa Ana event different.
Things will remain relatively calm for the weekend, but "a difficult to resolve weather pattern" begins early to mid-next week, the NWS said.
Millions of California residents were placed under a red flag warning through Thursday amid threats of further fires with looming winds in the forecast, according to multiple reports.
As wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles, three fires broke out in San Diego County, prompting evacuation orders and warnings.
BASE CAMP Dust Mask aids Californians during the Greater Los Angeles wildfires, driven by Santa Ana winds, promoting clean air, safety, and community health. As California faces the devastating impact of the Santa Ana winds starting January 16,