Sunday Santa Ana Winds

NASA view of Santa Ana Winds. Instead of coming in from the west (the ocean), they come down from the east and turn hot, dry, and explosive. See below for more understanding on Santa Ana Winds.

They are so fast and have such force that they can knock over a semi just as if you blew a cotton ball off the palm of your hand.

About 4am, the Santa Ana Winds started. They are so intense, they bang blinds, slam doors, break trees, and HOWL as they whip down the neighborhood. Christine ran down the hall and climbed in bed with me and Darla.


We got up early, showered, and got to the church by 7:45am so I could go to Ward Council and get things set up for primary program practice. Christine is such a trooper. She just reads and waits for me to come out. A few years ago before she was old enough to be left by herself, she would come with me every Sunday at 7am and wait. (Duff was at Stk. Presidency meetings and he leaves even earlier than I do!)


Cleaned up after Primary and came home, got a nice chicken in the oven. Such a good comfortable smell on a Sunday! Chris headed off to a Beehive Presidency meeting and Meredith came over for a visit before she had to head to the airport and go back to Arizona. The winds kept going--nothing new to us native Southern Californians.

Now, here is an explanation of Santa Ana Winds: They are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in southern California during the fall and early winter.

They are the result of air pressure build-up between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. The high energy wind spills out of the Great Basin and is pulled by gravity into the lowlands. The air circulates 'clockwise' arount the high pressure area bringing winds from the east and north east which is the OPPOSITE of what we usually have, which are westerly winds off the ocean, 'counter-clockwise'. Pick your hand up and using your index finger in a clockwise and counterclockwise motion picture going over a map area. You'll get a better perspective of how the winds blow and why they are either hot and dry, coming out of the high desert, or cool and moist, coming off the ocean.

The air heats up and dries while being compressed as it descends. The humidity is sucked out. The average speed of the winds is 35-40 miles an hour, and often higher. They can reach hurricane force. The winds turn chaparral into explosive fuel.

Interestingly though, at the end of a Santa Ana Wind, a ground fog settles in. When the east wind stops and the westerly winds start again the air in the marine layer thickens and becomes heavily moist.

Christine will be sleeping with me for sure tonight! I was washing up the dinner dishes and looked out my big kitchen window and saw BLACK SMOKE. That is a 'pit in your stomach' feeling. Called the fire authority and it is off the 241 toll road--the major highway we use to connect up with all the other freeways. Turned on the TV and it is on EVERY channel, so this is BIG, BIG, BIG. Fires also in Malibu, Santa Clarita, San Diego, Ontario, Fontana, Castaic, etc.

The toll road is now closed because of a fire in Irvine. They are evacuating Portola Hills, which is in our stake. Christine and I went and filled the car with gas, and decided what to take if it gets down to us. We are south of Portola Hills, and the wind is blowing south! More tomorrow.