The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk. By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser. The Palisades Fire began at A. Much of the neighborhood is under evacuation orders, which extended to northern Santa Monica. As of Friday morning, the fire had scorched more than 20, acres and destroyed more than 5, structures.
As of Friday morning, it had burned more than 13, acres. The two fires have caused 10 deaths and numerous injuries, according to officials. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. On Wednesday evening, another fire began in the heart of Los Angeles just north of Hollywood. The fire grew rapidly to cover more than 40 acres as it spread downhill in Runyon Canyon.
Though winds were not as high as Tuesday night, they were still pushing the fire and carrying embers that started spot fires. Helicopters made water drops, which helped beat back the flames. Gusts were expected to reach 70 to 80 mph as the winds would peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday, with some places potentially seeing gusts as high as mph.
The Santa Ana winds commonly propel fast-moving, damaging fires in this area; their characteristic dryness and speed can rapidly fan and spread flames. These winds are a result of local geography and a particular meteorological setup in which a high-pressure system sits over the Great Basin in the interior of the U. West and a low-pressure system hangs over California or offshore.
This descent compresses the air, warming it up and drying it out. Such downslope winds, which happen in other locations around the world, are scientifically termed katabatic winds. The Santa Ana winds are additionally funneled through narrow mountain canyons, which causes them to speed up. The hot, dry and fast nature of these winds makes them perfectly suited to spreading flames from any spark that ignites. The winds blow embers well ahead of the fire front, starting new spot fires. The timing of the event is more in line with the norm: Santa Ana events typically happen from October through January.
