Scary scene of the massive fire in California.
Los Angeles: The massive fire that broke out in the forests of Los Angeles has now engulfed Southern California as well. The fierce flames of fire are burning everything to ashes. Till now, every effort of America towards extinguishing the fire has proved unsuccessful. Hundreds of helicopters have been deployed to extinguish the fire, but they are also proving unsuccessful. This is the situation when there is a sea next to the forest. Helicopters are busy extinguishing the fire by fetching water from the sea.
Meanwhile, powerful Santa Ana winds blew down from the mountains on the outskirts of Los Angeles and spread wildfires across many areas from January 7, 2025, creating a terrifying sight. At least 10 people have died due to the massive forest fire in and around Los Angeles city of America and thousands of houses, buildings and other structures have been burnt to ashes by January 10. Authorities asked more than 180,000 residents to evacuate their homes in view of the massive fire.
Fierce winds blowing in California
The winds in California were so strong that firefighters had to struggle a lot to control the fire. Santa Ana winds become especially dangerous when combined with other climatic conditions such as drought, increasing the risk of wildfires, as is currently occurring in the Los Angeles area. John Keeley, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in California and an assistant professor at UCLA, explains what causes such powerful winds in Southern California and why these winds pose such a risk of fire. What causes Santa Ana winds? The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow from the mountains toward the Southern California coast.
Dry conditions become dangerous
According to scientists, an average of about 10 Santa Ana wind events occur annually in the region. When conditions are dry, as they are now, these winds can become a serious fire threat. The Santa Ana winds blow when there is high pressure in the ‘Great Basin’ in the east and a low pressure system off the coast. Air masses move from high pressure to low pressure and the greater the difference in pressure, the faster the winds move. The ‘Great Basin’, often known as the ‘Great Basin’ Desert, is a major natural feature of western North America, consisting of rocky mountain ranges running north-south and large intermediate valleys. Topography also plays a role: as winds move down from the top of the San Gabriel Mountains, they become drier and warmer.
Difficult to extinguish fire in Southern California
Southern California has had very dry conditions this year. There has been very little moisture for the last several months. It is very difficult to extinguish a fire in these conditions. Similar fire incidents due to strong winds have been seen in other states. Have the direction of the Santa Ana winds changed over time? Santa Ana wind events are nothing new, but we are seeing them more frequently currently. More people now live in and on the edges of wildland areas, and with them the electricity grid has expanded. This leads to more incidents of fire. In adverse weather, there is a greater risk of fire due to downed power lines. Houses are made of dry materials and when the atmosphere is dry they catch fire easily and the fire spreads rapidly.
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