"Helping drive the wildfires in the US city of Los Angeles are the so-called Santa Ana winds, a weather phenomenon known to dry out "the hills and the nerves to flash point."
The windstorms occur when cold air gathers in the neighboring states of Nevada and Utah. As it moves west and then rushes down California's mountains, it heats up—and dries out.
The Santa Anas can both create the conditions for deadly wildfires and fuel them once they are underway—drying out vegetation when they blow through, and then fanning blazes once they spark."
AFP had the story January 13, 2025.
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Source: AFP, 01/14/2025
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