Southern California is facing fierce fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds, which threaten homes and put firefighters to the test.

(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.

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,

Strong winds fueled fires across Santa Ana in California. Dramatic footage shows a plume of smoke rising from a hillside, with strong winds swaying trees in the foreground on3. Reports indicated the large vegetation fire started Thursday afternoon on a hilltop near the US-Mexico border.

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.

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

Southern California will continue to face "dangerous fire weather conditions" including strong Santa Ana winds and extremely low humidity through later this week, forecasters said Tuesday.

As Southern California shifts into recovery mode after the devastating wildfires, residents should stay on alert on Monday and Tuesday with high winds returning. The National Weather Service has

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

Things will remain relatively calm for the weekend, but "a difficult to resolve weather pattern" begins early to mid-next week, the NWS said.

As Southern California's firefighters gain ground on the Palisades and Eaton fires, the region is on high alert due to an upcoming Santa Ana wind event, anticipated to be one of the most severe this season with extremely dry conditions.