How was the Eaton fire of Southern California able to start and spread so easily in the winter month of January?

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Jon Keeley, University of California, Los Angeles (THE CONVERSATION) Powerful ...

Register Citizen Logo Hearst Newspapers Logo ...

Middletown Press Logo Hearst Newspapers Logo ...

Answer: The Santa Ana winds have everything to do with weather.It starts with a high-pressure area over the Great Basin. That’s a huge area, spanning much of Nevada, Utah and parts of California ...

Santa Ana winds allow for the rapid spread of wildfires in southern California Posted 2025-01-15T10:29:35+00:00 - Updated 2025-01-15T14:30:16+00:00 How Santa Ana winds add fuel to California wildfires ...

In the case of the Santa Ana winds, they can often gust around 40 to 70 mph. This takes any blaze and allows it to grow exponentially in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, the humidity drops in ...

Fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds, the fire exploded in size and within 24 hours had grown to nearly 3,000 acres, forcing rounds of frenzied evacuations that saw people stuck in traffic flee their cars.

Southern California's winds typically flow onshore from the Pacific, carrying moist air onto land. The Santa Ana winds are warm currents that move in the opposite direction. They typically occur ...

Certainly the strength of the most recent Santa Ana event was unusual, as was the devastation the new fires caused. However, this is the typical time of year for Santa Ana winds.

Jon Keeley, University of California, Los Angeles Powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching hurricane strength, swept ...