The Santa Ana winds are strong, dry and often warm winds that blow west from Nevada and Utah to Southern California, significantly affecting wildfire events.
To understand how the Santa Ana winds form, imagine the Great Basin as a big bowl, with high pressure pushing air through mountain passes to Southern California.
The dry air of the Santa Ana winds originates in the desert environment of the Great Basin and warms as it compresses while moving down mountains.
These winds are most common in colder months due to low- and high-pressure weather systems interacting across the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere.
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