Southern California's Notorious Santa Ana Winds: A Symbol of Mother Nature's Ferocity!

The Santa Ana winds are a well-known facet of Southern California life. In addition to traffic, smog, earthquakes and fires, the Santa Ana winds are right up there in the pantheon of Southern California ills. A seasonal-type of wind, Santa Ana winds roar through the canyon and mountain passes of Southern California in Fall and early Spring, sometimes with hurricane force, and are notorious for toppling trees and power lines, blowing roofs off of houses, and overturning big rigs and other high-profile vehicles. But what causes Santa Ana winds and why are they so powerful?

The Santa Ana winds are caused by strong high pressure weather systems that situate themselves over the Great Basin area of the western United States - the area between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains - a giant desert area. When a strong high pressure system is in place over the Great Basin, the winds spin around the center of the high in a clockwise fashion. These winds, by virtue of their location in the arid Great Basin, are dry and warm to begin with, and as these winds blow in a clockwise direction towards Southern California, they blow across the large Mojave Desert, where they heat up even further and compress as they descend in elevation, which increases their wind velocity. As these winds continue to blow towards Southern California, they are funneled through the numerous passes and canyons separating the Los Angeles Basin from the desert areas, a form of compression that drastically increases their velocity. As these winds blow toward the low-lying areas of Southern California, they again drop in elevation which further increases their temperature and wind speed. So, by the time these Santa Ana winds reach Southern California, they are blowing with a raging ferocity that puts Southern California on edge.