Whether summery hot or wintry tepid like the ones shown above that are currently ravaging Pasadena and the Greater Los Angeles area, Southern California’s fiendish Santa Ana winds are the stuff of legends.
In his story Red Wind, Raymond Chandler described them as “those hot dry [winds] that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch.”
Around here they’re blamed for all sorts of pandemonium: Making people irritable, making them horny, making them murderous, and even making “earthquake weather.” While the winds’ ability to do any of the above remains scientifically debatable, one thing’s painfully obvious:
“Santa Anas can cause a great deal of damage. The fast, hot winds cause vegetation to dry out, increasing the danger of wildfire. Once the fires start, the winds fan the flames and hasten their spread. The winds create turbulence and establish vertical wind shear (in which winds exhibit substantial change in speed and/or direction with height), both posing aviation hazards. The winds tend to make for choppy surf conditions in the Southern California Bight, and often batter the north coast of Santa Catalina Island, including Avalon cove and the island’s airport.” [Source: UCLA.edu]
As local meteorologists will tell you, the Santa Anas can blow virtually any time of year, but are especially strong from September through November — one reason why September is typically this region’s hottest month.
Despite the legend that the “devil winds” were originally named for Satan, or a corruption of “santana,” most historians agree they take their moniker from Orange County’s Santa Ana Canyon, a natural funnel between the Mojave Desert and the greater Orange and Los Angeles County regions.
The dry, offshore winds actually have their beginning in the Great Basin of the United States. When high pressure builds there, the air stream is forced toward Southern California, picking up speed as it sweeps across the Mojave Desert and squeezes through mountain passes (like Santa Ana Canyon) into the Los Angeles basin.
For a more in-depth historical-cultural look at the Santa Ana phenomen, visit this San Diego history site and this UCLA site. UCLA also offers this quick Santa Ana Winds FAQ.