Where did the names for the Santa Ana winds come from?

Answer 1

The Santa Ana wind is a blustery, dry and warm (often hot) wind that blows out of the desert. Named after Southern California's Santa Ana Canyon and a fixture of local legend and literature, the Santa Ana is a blustery, dry and warm (often hot) wind that blows out of the desert. In Raymond Chandler's story Red Wind, the title being one of the offshore wind's many nicknames, the Santa Anas were introduced as "those hot dry [winds] that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen." Local legends associate the hot, dry winds with homicides and earthquakes, but these are myths. (See note below regarding naming.) Another popular misconception that the winds are hot owing to their desert origin. Actually, the Santa Anas develop when the desert is cold, and are thus most common during the cool season stretching from October through March. High pressure builds over the Great Basin (e.g., Nevada) and the cold air there begins to sink. However, this air is forced downslope which compresses and warms it at a rate of about 10C per kilometer (29F per mile) of descent. As its temperature rises, the relative humidity drops; the air starts out dry and winds up at sea level much drier still. The air picks up speed as it is channeled through passes and canyons. Santa Anas can cause a great deal of damage. The fast, hot winds cause vegetation to dry out, increasing the danger of wildfire. Once the fires start, the winds fan the flames and hasten their spread. The winds create turbulence and establish vertical wind shear (in which winds exhibit substantial change in speed and/or direction with height), both posing aviation hazards. The winds tend to make for choppy surf conditions in the Southern California Bight, and often batter the north coast of Santa Catalina Island, including Avalon cove and the island's airport.

Answer 2

The Santa Ana winds are named after the Santa Ana Canyon in Southern California, where the winds originate from as they blow towards the coast. The name has been used since the 1880s to describe these dry, strong, and warm winds that can cause wildfire conditions in the region.

Answer 3

http://answers.Yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061128195321AASB3Al

Answer 4

The Santa Ana winds are a build up of air pressure between the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains. They travel to the coast through areas such as the Mohave desert.

Answer 5

They are winds that are sent off shore

Answer 6

compressional heating