Santa Ana winds

Santa Ana Winds Whip Flames

The Santa Ana winds — whose painfully appropriate nickname is "devil winds" — are a kind of foehn that forms in the autumn and winter when temperatures drop in the Great Basin. The high pressure causes the cold air to sink, becoming denser, and the heavier air descends into the canyons and valleys of Southern California, picking up speed along the way. When the Santa Anas combine with the dry heat, the situation turns combustible. This week's deadly firestorms in that area were exacerbated by the winds, which at their peak gusted to over 100 mph/161 kmph.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, October 26, 2007