Santa Ana winds boost danger as fires prompt evacuations

What are Santa Ana winds, and why do they fuel California wildfires? Santa Ana winds can down trees, trigger power outages and even damage buildings. They're also notorious for fanning some of the most destructive wildfires in Southern California history. What are Santa Ana winds? These winds form when an area of high pressure builds over the Great Basin, a region in the Intermountain West that includes Nevada and parts of other neighboring states. When this high forms, it creates a sharp pressure difference between the interior and the coast. Air then rushes downhill to the sea in an attempt to create balance. But there's an issue: California's mountain ranges get in the way.(MORE: The Pineapple Express is a firehose, and El Niño just turned it up)These hot, dry winds continue to speed up as they descend mountains. Any sparks can quickly become raging wildfires. This air is forced to squeeze through narrower mountain passes and canyons. One of these mountain ranges is the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, which is how these winds got their name in the first place.

THE TAKEAWAYTropical Storm Isaias has formed in the southern Gulf and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast later this week. A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida. Heavy rain is expected to begin on Friday, with flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, potentially life-threatening storm surge and even tornadoes possible as the storm comes ashore. Landfall is currently expected sometime between late Friday and early Saturday, but uncertainty remains regarding exactly where and how strong Isaias will be at that time. Hurricane and Storm Surge Warnings have been issued for the northern Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Isaias continues to strengthen in the southern Gulf and is forecast to rapidly intensify into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane. HOW ARE HURRICANES RATED? Isaias is expected to approach the coast by Friday, with landfall currently estimated to be sometime late Friday or early Saturday between Gulfport, Mississippi, and Panama City, Florida. Isaias stats(FOX Weather) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov.

The Bouquet Fire broke out in the Angeles National Forest around 3:30 p.m., quickly growing from 20 acres to 1,000 overnight. THE TAKEAWAYA wildfire has scorched over 1,000 acres in Angeles National Forest. The fire — coined the Bouquet Fire — broke out Saturday evening. People in the Santa Clarita area were ordered to evacuate as the wildfire spreads. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Evacuations are underway after a wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Saturday evening, quickly growing to over 1,000 acres, according to local fire officials. CAL FIRE said the fire, coined the Bouquet Fire, broke out in the Angeles National Forest around 3:30 p.m., quickly growing from 20 acres to 1,000 overnight. MEET THREEHALVES: THE VIRAL ROBOT DESIGNED FOR EARTH'S MOST DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTSJust before 5 p.m., the fire had already spread to over 700 acres. In their most recent update, the Angeles National Forest said Bouquet Canyon Road remains closed from Spunky Canyon to Vasquez Canyon. Evacuations are ongoing, with officials saying the Bouquet Fire is threatening structures and power lines. Firefighters said the blaze is 40% contained.

An October nor'easter is developing in the Atlantic, where it will bring high surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, winds and rain to parts of the East Coast for several days this week. The National Hurricane Center has it highlighted as an area to watch this week for potential subtropical development. However, regardless of development, this system will bring dangerous conditions to the East Coast this week. Fortunately, this system doesn't look to be as strong as the one in September. But the bad news? It could linger for much of the week, so impacts could have a longer duration than you would think. There are currently coastal flood alerts across parts of coastal North Carolina and Virginia, where anywhere from 1 to 4 feet of inundation is possible. Key takeawaysWe do not expect this storm to be as strong as the late September nor'easter. The area most likely impacted the longest appears to be from the Delmarva Peninsula to eastern North Carolina, with more models pointing to primarily eastern North Carolina.

Thousands evacuate Southern California as wind-fueled fires burn homesFire crews in Southern California gained ground Saturday on a wind-driven blaze that charred hills and damaged or destroyed at least six large coastal homes, allowing evacuation orders to be lifted and thousands of people to return home. The fast-moving Norte Fire sparked the previous day in San Clemente amid hot, strong Santa Ana winds that drove it into San Juan Capistrano, prompting the evacuation of about 16,000 residents. Firefighters work to douse a house fire during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Hundreds of firefighters deployed to combat the blaze in the hills of Orange County. At one home engulfed in smoke and fire, photos showed them using hoses to try to douse the flames. Most of the evacuations were lifted Saturday evening, except for one street in San Clemente. The Norte Fire was one of several in the region hit by the Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast.

Marine technician crosses world's roughest sea to document AntarcticaFor Andrew Naslund, Antarctica is his “favorite place in the world.”He’s a marine technician for Scripps Institution of Oceanography. And while not a professional photographer, he’s capturing Antarctica’s beauty along his research journey. Andrew Naslund, Scripps Institution of Oceanography marine technician.(Andrew Naslund)The researchNaslund spends months aboard a research vessel, the R/V Roger Revelle (AGOR 24), which he describes as “basically a floating laboratory.”“The purpose of this ship is to provide a platform for scientists to reach some of the most remote reaches of our oceans,” Naslund said. A big part of his role is assisting the scientists to safely deploy and recover their instrumentation over the side of the ship. He also keeps track of incoming data, ensuring the scientists are getting the information that they came out there to get. “[We’re] a mobile weather station. So anywhere that we travel in the world, we’re collecting meteorological weather data,” he says.