Although the strongest wind gusts have passed through the Southern California region, another "traditional Santa Ana wind event" will move in Thursday night.

The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

Fire crews in Los Angeles have gotten a brief reprieve from brutal Santa Ana winds that have been fueling five wildfires. At least three are still raging at zero containment, and nearly 180,00 people are under mandatory evacuation orders,

By the time the winds get to the point where the Eaton Fire broke out in Altadena on Jan. 7, it’s not uncommon for them to have less than 5 percent relative humidity, meaning essentially no moisture at all.

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

Damaging winds, downed trees, power outages and raging wildfires. Santa Ana winds can lead to all of these and more, potentially leading to life-threatening conditions. Knowing what Santa Ana winds are and what to do could save your life.

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.