Santa Ana winds occur when air flows west from a region of high pressure over the dry Great Basin to lower pressure off the California coast, According to Accuweather. As that cool interior air flows over and through mountain passes, it accelerates, sinks and compresses.

Jon Keeley, a research ecologist in California with the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor at UCLA, explains what causes extreme winds like this in Southern California, and why they create such a dangerous fire risk.

Forecasters in Southern California expect to issue a 'particularly dangerous situation' red flag warning for the coming week as the Santa Ana wind forecast worsens.

With the Palisades and Eaton Fires still not fully contained, another dangerous Santa Ana wind event is forecast in Los Angeles for Monday-Thursday.

Santa Ana winds continued to buffet Southern California Tuesday, again raising wildfire danger as crews continued their efforts Tuesday to fully contain a pair of massive blazes that erupted amid erratic winds earlier this month,

Katabatic winds? Adiabatic compression? Time for a thermodynamics lesson! The record lack of rain has also made this Santa Ana event different.

"Gusts approaching 100 mph were recorded above 2,000 feet in the Santa Monica ... deserts of California and the Southwest, according to the National Weather Service. Santa Ana winds occur when ...

Fire crews braced for a second round of strong Santa Ana winds this week. So far, eight deaths have been confirmed from the Palisades Fire.

Strong winds are lingering across SoCal, creating dangerous fire conditions. But with rain looming, there's a threat of landslides for burn zones. Eyewitness News has live updates with the latest forecast and urgent preparations.

Even as Santa Ana winds continued to blast parts of the Southland, threatening to spark new fires or re-ignite old ones, local authorities turned their attention Wednesday to the possibility of rain hitting the area this weekend and potentially triggering mud or debris flows in recent burn areas.

Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans who helped rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina, will be playing a "key role" in Los Angeles' recovery from the wildfires, Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday.