What are sundowner winds?

Answer 1

The infamous Santa Ana winds which occasionally ravage the counties of Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange to the south leave the Santa Barbara area virtually untouched. The only disturbance to this idyllic picture comes when downslope winds pour across passes in the Santa Ynez Range, descending onto the Santa Barbara littoral. These winds are "sundowners," Santa Barbara's special version of the Santa Ana regime. Sundowners frequently occur in the late afternoon or evening hours - hence the name. Light sundowners create irregular rises in temperature downtown with gentle offshore breezes. Stronger sundowners, occurring two or three times a year, can create sharp temperature rises, local gale force winds, and significant weather-related problems. Rarely, probably about a half dozen times in a century, an "explosive" sundowner occurs. These extremely strong and hot winds present a dangerous weather situation. In these events, super heated air from the Santa Ynez Valley bursts across the Santa Ynez Mountains and onto the coastal plain, reaching gale force or higher speeds within the city. Dust storms occur, fires can race down the mountain slopes, and great stress is felt by the human population, by animals, and by plants. http://www.wildfirelessons.net/documents/SUNDOWNER_WINDS_S_CA.pdf

Answer 2

Sundowner winds are strong, warm, dry gusts that occur on the leeward side of mountain ranges in the western United States. These downslope winds typically happen in the evening and night, after the sun sets and the air cools. Sundowner winds can enhance wildfire risk due to their dry and gusty nature.