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

Santa Ana winds are synonymous with southern California weather. They can happen any time of the year but are more common during the cold months. They happen when a ridge of high-pressure forms over the Great Basin and an upper-level low forms near the desert southwest.

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

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. However, "since the wind speeds are so high now, the slow decrease will not bring the winds down to below warning levels until early evening,

Although the strongest wind gusts have passed through the Southern California region, another "traditional Santa Ana wind event" will move in Thursday night.

The life-threatening windstorm exploded into a crisis even worse than predicted, with embers flying an estimated two to three miles ahead of the fire. Grace Toohey is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times covering breaking news for the Fast Break Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Sentinel and the Advocate in Baton Rouge. Toohey is a Maryland native and proud Terp. Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.

The Santa Ana winds are a notorious wind event in California. It has been fueling the southern California wildfires.