The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada

The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

The Santa Ana winds become particularly dangerous when combined with other climate conditions such as drought, which increases the risk of wildfires like the ones currently raging in the Los Angeles area.

The ferocious wildfires turning the Los Angeles area into a raging inferno are being fueled by “hurricane force” Santa Ana winds that have already prompted the evacuation of tens of

Santa Ana winds can bring disruptive impacts to daily life in Los Angeles and parts of southern California, but when coupled with wildfires they can escalate the situation rapidly, causing the fires to take hold and spread at great speed.

Santa Anas are created by high pressure over the Great Basin — the vast desert interior of the West overlapping Nevada, parts of Utah and other ... Santa Ana winds pushed the fire south, where ...

As fires in the region remain uncontained, L.A. officials say they’re “ready” for an incoming new round of strong winds.

But you out there may be asking, what are Santa Ana winds exactly? Well, in this case, high pressure builds over the Nevada and Utah deserts and blows west into the San Gabriel Mountains in ...

The Santa Ana winds form in a western area of the country known as the Great Basin, which includes Nevada and part of Utah. The basin sits at a higher elevation than Southern California.

The devastating fires across Southern California are being driven by the Santa Ana winds, as incredibly dry and windy conditions continue to heighten the fire danger

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme weather warning of a life-threatening and destructive windstorm

Topography matters, too — treeless mountain peaks are typically windier without those trees, or buildings, to slow the winds. And different parts of Earth — water and land — heat from sunlight at different rates, which shapes wind.