A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning has been issued for Southern California as a powerful and potentially damaging Santa Ana wind event​ is expected.

President Donald Trump will visit southern California this week amid looming winds and threats of new flames with tens of thousands of acres torched and buildings destroyed, according to reports.

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.

The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at [email protected] or [email protected].

Katabatic winds? Adiabatic compression? Time for a thermodynamics lesson! The record lack of rain has also made this Santa Ana event different.

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

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.

Watch KTLA team coverage of the latest wind event to create a wildfire risk in metro Los Angeles. Jan. 20, 2025.

While gusty winds took a long break over Southern California this past weekend, allowing ample progress to be made in containing existing wildfires, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that winds will ramp up into Tuesday.

Mauricio Arellano, superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, which co-sponsored the Wednesday, Jan. 22, event, told the crowd of about 50 that all children in the U.S. have a right to a free public education — regardless of immigration status.