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What Are the Santa Ana Winds?

The Santa Ana winds fuel devastating wildfires in Southern California. Here’s why they’re so destructive.

ByCaLea Johnson|
California wildfires: Firefighters struggle with strained water system
California wildfires: Firefighters struggle with strained water system | TODAY

The California wildfires have wreaked havoc in the Los Angeles area since early January 2025, and residents have suffered terrible losses, from homes to schools to loved ones. News reports have warned about the Santa Ana winds and their power to turn modest wildfires into conflagrations. Here’s why these wind patterns can be so destructive.

The Santa Ana winds (named for a canyon in Southern California) are abrupt bursts of dry, hot air blowing into the Los Angeles region from the deserts of the Great Basin to the northeast. The winds form when deserts are cold, making them more common from October to March. As the cool air mass grows, it is forced downward from higher elevations to sea level. The air compresses and warms up quickly.

The spike in heat causes the air to lose more moisture and it gains speed as it flows through passes and canyons. By the time the winds hit LA, they are hot, dry, and dangerous. The Santa Ana winds can squeeze water from vegetation and create the perfect conditions for wildfires. The dry gusts also bolster fires by fueling flames and increasing their speed. The BBC reports that the current outbreak of devastating fires may be due to a perfect storm of environmental factors: recent wet years that caused an overgrowth of brush and shrubbery; an extreme, ongoing drought that dried the vegetation; and the bursts of Santa Ana winds that can turn any spark into a blaze.

These fires are some of the worst in the state has faced. As of January 13, CNN reports that the Palisades Fire burned almost 24,000 acres, the Eaton Fire destroyed over 14,000, and the Hurst Fire nearly 800. According to Cal Fire, the Eaton and Palisades Fires are the second and fourth most destructive in California’s history.

People in the LA area can donate supplies and volunteer to help survivors. The LA Times offers a list of opportunities with corresponding locations, tasks, and participation dates. Anyone can donate much-needed funds to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery, the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen, and other organizations providing relief.

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