On Tuesday, Santa Claus Ana’s winds moved out to sea in southern California, scattering embers and then fanning the growing flames. By nightfall, residents received instant text alerts warning of possible 100 mph gusts — a terrifying escalation that turned a precarious situation into a full-blown crisis. As the winds howled, more embers flew and ignited new fires in dry, fragile terrain that hadn’t seen significant rain in more than eight months.
Los Angeles County, faced with drought-like conditions, was a box waiting for a spark. Firefighters faced an uphill battle against strong winds as planes used to drop water and flame retardant materials became grounded. Officials warned in a press release Wednesday morning that “all Los Angeles County residents are at risk.” The evacuation order has displaced tens of thousands of residents, and thousands more are awaiting updates. As of Wednesday evening, three large wildfires had burned more than 13,000 acres with containment efforts lagging: the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, the Hurst Fire in Sylmar, and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena show no signs of slowing down. are writing this article. 0 percent contained and is currently the most destructive in California history.
The fires quickly became catastrophic because of the unusually dry and windy conditions, says Jennifer Marlon, a research scientist and lecturer at Yale University. Yale School of Environment and Climate Change Program. “Once a fire starts in these conditions, it’s very, very difficult to control,” said Caitlin Trudeau, senior climate scientist at the nonprofit news organization Climate Central.
Santa Ana wind events are not uncommon. “We see it every year around this time,” said Jason Moreland, chief meteorologist at emergency communications platform AlertMedia. These downslope winds originating inland are caused by a dry high pressure system from the northwest and a moist low pressure system from the south. “It’s like having a hose and folding it in half to shut off the water. Trudeau explains that if you punch a hole in the side, you have a lot of pressure to get out. “That’s basically what happens with air.”
However, these winds are much stronger than usual due to a dip in the jet stream near the Baja Peninsula in northwest Mexico, Moreland explains. Winds that are normally carried to higher altitudes are reaching lower areas. “Every few decades, we get wind events of this magnitude,” he says.
While the wind event appears to be strong, Noah Dieffenbaugh, a professor and senior researcher at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment, explained that it may just be due to natural climate change — and to know if it’s caused by climate change and Whether it is aerial or not, more research is needed.
However, while winds are not unseasonal, climate change increases the risk of late or early season wildfires in California. “It’s not only a strong wind, but it’s a dry season here in early January,” Dieffenbaugh said. Southern California’s wet season, which runs from October to April, saw record lows after one of the driest falls on record. As precipitation is more variable due to climate change, the overlap between the windy and dry seasons increases. “We’re seeing a significant number of hot, dry, windy days, especially in Southern California,” Trudeau said.
