Critical fire conditions are expected to continue through Friday. But rain could be on the way this weekend. Here's what to know.

Answer: The Santa Ana winds have everything to do with weather. It starts with a high-pressure area over the Great Basin. That’s a huge area, spanning much of Nevada, Utah and parts of California, Idaho,

(KWTX) -One of the major factors that made the January Los Angeles fires so devastating was the very strong Santa Ana winds. This week we are talking with Alex Tardy, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in San Diego,

A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning has been issued for Southern California as a powerful and potentially damaging Santa Ana wind event​ is expected.

The Santa Anas are expected to be most powerful Monday night into Tuesday. Fire services across the region say they are ready.

Santa Ana winds finally delivered a big, direct hit on San Diego County Tuesday, gusting as high as 102 mph in the backcountry where a touch of long-overdue rain could arrive this weekend.

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

In recent days, however, the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds—which have been fanning the flames—have begun to slow down. This lull has offered firefighters a reprieve and a key opportunity to make progress against the blazes, but forecasts suggest the Santa Ana will return next week. What are these gusts, and how have they become so strong?

Just a few years after the ozone hole was detected via satellite, the industrialized nations of the world, meeting in Montreal in 1987, adopted what is known as the Montreal Protocol.

Much of inland San Diego County was whipped yet again by a strong Santa Ana wind event Monday into Tuesday, contributing to risky fire conditions as the region remains bone-dry.

Warm and dry conditions will persist through Thursday as another Santa Ana pattern develops, bringing gusty northeast winds to Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Asignificant cooling trend will begin Friday and continue through the weekend as a cold storm system moves over the region.

A critical fire threat will continue across County as Santa Ana winds and dry conditions persist through early Friday, according to the National Weather Service.