Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

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.

Windy and dry conditions returned to Southern California on Monday, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking as firefighters continue to battle two major blazes in the Los Angeles area that started in similar weather nearly two weeks ago.

One of the biggest stories of 2025 thus far has been the wildfires in California. A common occurrence in that state, wildfires are often fueled by a combination of drought and terrain. The terrain allows for the development of Santa Ana winds that cause any fire to spread very quickly.

"A strong Santa Ana Wind event is expected to develop Monday and last through at least Tuesday," the National Weather Service said.

KGW spoke with one of the volunteers from our region, Lori Crosby, who has been aiding survivors of the Palisades fire at a shelter since last week.

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

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

City workers and celebrities, teachers and tycoons talk about what they lost in the Los Angeles fires — and how they’ll rebuild.

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

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