A forest fire has been raging in Los Angeles, California, USA for the last two days. Now it is becoming so much more dangerous that it has spread from the forests to the residential areas of the city. The situation is so serious that 1.30 lakh people have been ordered to evacuate the area immediately. Out of which more than 70 thousand people have left their homes. Many posh areas of Hollywood have also fallen victim to this fire. Such wildfires are often found in the forest areas of countries like America, Australia. In which dry winds blow in the forest with sparks and fire breaks out. Do you know how these winds form and why and how they make wildfires so dangerous?
What are the ‘Santa Ana’ winds?
The fire in Los Angeles is being called the deadliest fire in 16 years. The city of Los Angeles in California is located among the mountains. There are pine forests here. The fire started due to the burning of these dry cask trees. The ‘Santa Ana’ winds blowing at a speed of 160 kmph are particularly responsible for aggravating this further. These winds which usually blow in autumn season are very hot. This affects Southern California the most. Their speed can reach 80-100 kilometers per hour. They are dry, hot and very strong. As it passes through the mountains this heats up and destroys the moisture in the air. This wind dries out the forests so much that it becomes difficult to extinguish the fire. The flames spread quickly with these winds, destroying homes and fields. When these winds blow, choking smoke and ash make people’s lives more difficult.
How are these ‘Santa Ana’ winds formed?
Santa Ana winds form when high pressure builds up in the Great Basin (a large desert area of ​​the western United States). When air falls downward, it loses its moisture. This wind then flows clockwise toward southern California. Before reaching here it has to pass through the high mountains that stand between the desert and the coastal areas.
Just as a river speeds up when it enters a narrow valley, so do the winds. It becomes stronger, drier and hotter as it passes through mountain passes and valleys. This causes the humidity level in the air to become extremely low, sometimes down to only one percent. Trees and plants become ready to catch fire like paper. Second, the sheer speed of these winds is enough to turn any spark into a forest fire. Whether it’s downed electrical wires or cigarette ashes, Santa Ana winds blow them into flames, which then become difficult to contain.
They also take people as hostages
People call these winds ‘demonic’ because they not only spread fire but also make people irritable and restless. These winds blow more between October and March and are impossible to stop. Scientists believe that they are becoming more dangerous due to climate change and global warming. That is because the temperature is rising due to climate change and rain is not falling. Due to which incidents of fire are coming to light before time.
