(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,

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

Not only do these winds accelerate the speed and spread of the fires, they also affect how the fires are fought. The strong winds can make it dangerous to fly aircraft used for containing the fires.

Meteorologists said there was a chance the winds would be as severe as those that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires, but that different locations would likely be affected.

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.

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.

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.

Human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires, a scientific

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

Millions of California residents were placed under a red flag warning through Thursday amid threats of further fires with looming winds in the forecast, according to multiple reports.

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,

For the latest updates on the LA and San Diego fires, follow USA TODAY's coverage for Wednesday, Jan. 22. SAN DIEGO — Multiple wildfires broke out in San Diego County on Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders,