The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to fueling blazes like the Palisades Fire, and climate change is increasing the risk

Devastating fires in the Los Angeles region are driven by Santa Ana winds blowing from California and Nevada’s interior deserts to the Pacific Ocean.

The Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires covered more than 5,600 acres of Southern California as of Wednesday morning. Tens of thousands were under mandatory evacuation orders but the fires increased in size overnight, helped by the blustery Santa Ana winds.

While winds will be weaker on Thursday, another Santa Ana wind event is forecasted for Friday, with wind advisories likely in the Santa Clarita Valley to Point Mugu area from early morning to early afternoon, according to the NWS Los Angeles.

The fierce Santa Ana winds that stoked a blaze that scorched thousands of acres near Los Angeles will wallop San Diego County early Wednesday, in the start of what forecasters say could be a week or more of off-and-on lashings in a region that’s drier than it’s been in years.

Although the Santa Anas are a routine part of life for people living in southern California, the winds are particularly violent and destructive this time around, experts say.