With the strongest gusts expected on Tuesday, extreme fire condition threats will prevail until midweek, L.A.-area fire chiefs say.

In recent days, however, the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds—which have been fanning the flames—have begun to slow down. This lull has offered firefighters a reprieve and a key opportunity to make progress against the blazes, but forecasts suggest the Santa Ana will return next week. What are these gusts, and how have they become so strong?

Forecasters expect strong Santa Ana winds to return to the Los Angeles area this week with gusts up to 70 miles an hour in some places, putting firefighters in a race against time to control massive blazes that have killed 24 people and destroyed more than 12,

After a brief break on Sunday afternoon, another prolonged round of gusty Santa Ana winds is expected to develop, forecasters say.

Dangerous Santa Ana winds are expected to return to the Los Angeles area this week, potentially fueling the growth of new and existing wildfires, according to FOX Weather.

So far, the strongest winds recorded during the fires were around 100 miles per hour, which is considered hurricane-force strength. The strong Santa Ana winds are still expected to remain throughout the week, which is not ideal for the ongoing fight to contain the fires.

Santa Ana winds occur when air flows west from a region of high pressure over the dry Great Basin to lower pressure off the California coast, According to Accuweather. As that cool interior air flows over and through mountain passes, it accelerates, sinks and compresses.

Los Angeles firefighters braced for intense winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed two dozen people, leveled entire neighborhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington,

Fire weather watch. A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Monday and Tuesday, as northeast Santa Ana winds will likely bring criti

A "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning remains in effect as strong winds cause extreme fire danger in Southern California.

Strong Santa Ana winds will bring another afternoon of extreme fire danger to Southern California, which two deadly blazes have already ravaged. Erin Myers reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Jan.