Santa Ana Winds Elevate Fire Threat Amidst Potentially Record Dry Year in Southern California

By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

December 24,2013; 8:58PM,EST

 

 

Santa Ana winds and warmth are occurring in Southern California, elevating the fire risk.
Winds up to 30-40 mph are expected through midweek, with the highest gusts occurring through the canyons and mountain passes of Southern California.
"Any time there is a Santa Ana, it raises the fire danger due to low relative humidity and areas of wind," AccuWeather.com Western Forecasting Expert Ken Clark said.
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Southern California is in the grips of a severe drought, so there is plenty of dry vegetation that can act as fuel for any fires that ignite. Gusty winds could fan the flames.

Through early this week, Downtown Los Angeles has only received 3.60 inches of rain in 2013, according to the National Weather Service. This may go down as the driest calendar year on record.

L.A. Downtown Driest Calendar Years on Record

Rank	Rainfall (Inches)	Year
1	3.60	2013 (so far)
2	4.08	1953 1947
4	4.56	1989
5	4.83	1910

Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal through Christmas Day in the Los Angeles area.
Lighter winds are possible on Friday with highs still in the mid-70s.
Content contributed by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Meghan Evans.