To understand the Santa Ana winds, it’s important to first look at the larger atmospheric pattern that creates them. A strong high-pressure system builds in the Great Basin, located to the northeast of California.

But in California, the same effect is named the Santa Ana wind. Instead of melting snow, Santa Ana winds deliver warm air with very low humidity to the coast of California and this wind is often very strong where it is channeled through the canyons common along California's coastal region.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.