That’s leading to the creation of mountain waves, which arise when strong winds blow perpendicular to a mountain range. The waves shoot down the coastal side of the mountains, gaining speed along the way, and are more casually referred to as simple Santa Ana winds.

Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area, with a dangerous threat for the strongest wind event in more than a decade. Outages and extreme fire behaviours are major risks

Weather officials have issued a red flag warning for parts of Southern California as extreme fire conditions increase.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag waning for a wide swath of Southern California as Santa Ana winds are expected to bring dangerous fire weather to the region later this week.

A brush fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades area as the National Weather Service has issued an “extreme” red flag warning. A strong Santa Ana wind event is expected to bring a “life-threatening and destructive windstorm” to the Southern California region.