The Santa Ana winds are a fresh seasonal wind that blows from the desert, raising dust, stoking fires and, at least according to popular literature, drives people crazy and homicidal. The Santa Anas are always dry, as a result of the sinking of their place of origin over the great basin of Nevada and Utah.
Santa Ana
winds are strong and extremely dry winds that originate inland and affect the coast of Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cold, dry air masses at high pressure in the Great Basin.The Santa Ana winds are warm, dry winds that blow during the months of the cold season (October to March). They form when high pressure builds up over the Great Basin, the geographical area bordering the Rocky Mountains to the east and Sierra Nevada to the west, and when low pressure settles on the California coast. Santa Ana winds blow in Southern California during the fall and winter months, usually October through February. October through January are the best months for Santa Ana's strong winds, but they can happen any time after August and before June.
Santa Ana winds can blow violently over the southwestern slopes of coastal mountain ranges into the densely populated area of Southern California. They are heard about during the sweltering summer months, when plant life dries up and the smallest spark can cause catastrophe. When Los Angeles and surrounding areas are on high alert for potential wildfires, they have the potential to wreak havoc. Santa Ana Canyon was where the wind that hit Orange County got a place name, as early as 1871, when Orange County was still part of L.
These passes include Soledad Pass, Cajon Pass and San Gorgonio Pass, all known to exaggerate Santa Anas as they are channeled through. In The Return of Count Yorga (197), Santa Ana winds are associated with increased vampire activity. The unique features of Santa Ana's winds also make them particularly effective in sending flames to new areas. Santa Ana winds are a natural Southern California phenomenon that contributes to Orange County's fire ecology.
So invent some personal mythologies, such as the Santa Ana who was so strong that she ripped the Los Angeles cap off your head and flew it to Surf City. To live with Santa Ana is to accept, consciously or unconsciously, a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior. Although the origins of the name “Santa Ana” may be legendary, the damage caused by these winds is very real. The name was even amplified in 1901, after a Christmas Eve windstorm caused such a disaster that an Associated Press reporter made it national news under the name “Winds of Santa Ana”.
Santa Ana winds are usually strong enough and, being warm and dry, will dry out many of the fuels quickly. A related phenomenon occurs when Santa Ana's condition is present but weak, allowing dry, warm air to accumulate in inland valleys that may not reach sea level. The most widely accepted explanation for the name Santa Ana winds is that it is derived from the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County, one of many places where the winds blow intensely. The Santa Ana Winds have also been referenced in Eric Church's new song, Heart of the Night, on his album Heart, and by Waylon Payne in his song Santa Ana Winds.
If the Santa Anas are strong, the usual sea breeze during the day may not rise or weaken later in the day because strong desert winds on the high seas oppose the sea breeze on the coast. .
