worldgeography

SantaAnaWinds

Context
The Santa Ana winds and climate change are fueling wildfires in Malibu, California.
Santa Ana winds
Santa Ana winds are dry, warm, and powerful winds that originate in the Great Basin, a
region between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.
They occur when high-pressure systems develop over the inland deserts, while low-pressure
conditions prevail over California’s coastal areas.
This pressure difference forces strong winds to flow westward, descending the mountains
toward the Pacific Ocean.