Hang on to your hats: the Santa Ana winds are coming back for another round this week. The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning SoCalians that another round of "strong and potentially damaging offshore winds" is headed our way tomorrow — and it's supposed to last until the weekend. more ›

Here's our round-up of the destruction that hit the Southland and particularly Pasadena hard, which we're following on Twitter (because we're lucky enough to have power AND water). more ›

Yesterday the National Weather Service warned that the hot Santa Ana winds were making a comeback, bringing warmer weather and fire danger to Southern California this weekend. But now we're hearing it's going to be more like a heat wave, which the Daily Breeze correctly calls "a significant and abrupt change" to our current weather. A high pressure system will hit the southland starting Friday and lasting throughout the weekend. While the beaches will reach highs in the 70s and 80s, other inland areas can expect temperatures in the 90s and 100s. more ›

The temperatures have been great so far this week, but they might be slightly spoiled as Santa Ana winds pick up beginning Wednesday night and last through Friday. "Humidities will be dropping through the day Wednesday and by Wednesday night into Thursday many areas of Southwest California will be experiencing a combination of gusty Santa Ana winds and humidities at or below 15 percent," the National Weather Service warned. more ›

The fire-friendly Red Flag was lifted last night as Southern California expects a small break from the hot temperatures of last week. "Basically what we're expecting early this week is a trough of low pressure to move arcross the West Coast, and as a result what that will do for us is cool our temperatures and an increase in our onshore winds from the sea, bringing the marine layer.. and cooling our temperatures significantly," explained David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. more ›

Thanks to a marine layer over the coastal areas, beach neighborhoods should experience lower to mid 70s today. However, other parts of the region will not be spared with downtown hitting an expected high of 90 and the valleys soaring into triple digits today, according to the National Weather Service. "The whole [San Fernando] Valley will be around 100 to 105," explained Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist, over the phone. more ›

As the Guiberson Fire burns, already some 300 acres, in Ventura County, another fire has prompted evacuations in the Riverside County city of Norco. Mandatory evacuations are underway in the area of Vandermolen Drive and Valley Drive, according to ABC7. The blaze, located at the border of the city of Riverside, where firefighters are trying to contain it on a hill near homes, is moving in a northward direction deeper into Norco and into Corona, according to a fire captain speaking to KNX1070. Temperatures are currently 102 degrees. more ›

Feel the change in the weather? Humidity is dropping, the temperature is rising and the winds are a-coming. The National Weather Service issued a red flag alert, which tells firefighters that critical fire weather conditions are coming, for tomorrow noon through Sunday afternoon. Winds are expected to gust up to 70 mph or more through out the Los Angeles and Ventura County region. “Anytime we have gusts over 60 mph, very significant trees can get blown over, power lines can get blown over and we could see some structure damages as well,” the NWS told the LA Times. “It will be very dry and very windy, and we’ve already put the fire authorities on high alert.” As of 4 p.m., the LA Fire Department had not called for any Red Flag Parking restrictions. more ›

The National Weather Service has pushed back the end date of the current red flag, originally scheduled to end tonight, to Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. That means firefighters will have their extra guard up over the weekend as Santa Ana winds continue to blow west over the Southland's near humid-less air. more ›

As Santa Ana Winds began to warm and increase in speed today, the National Weather Service extended their Red Flag Warning for an additional day to 11:00 p.m. Saturday night, prompting the the LA Fire Department to extend their own red flag parking restrictions through 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning (but that can change in a moment's notice). A couple fires with potential to spread into larger incidents were knocked down north of Chatsworth and in Moreno Valley. The Foxborough Fire in the Fontana/Rancho Cucamonga area is 60 percent contained and was started by fireworks. more ›

It's going to get a bit more hot today and tomorrow as the Santa Anas make a return to Southern California. Albeit "weak to locally moderate" winds, gusts are still predicted to reach up to 40 to 50 miles per hour in the valley and mountain areas, respectively. As we get closer to the weekend, temps are expected to drop back down to the low 80s and high 70s. more ›

As weather begins to rise after some nice weekend cooling, so does the concern over wildfire. The National Weather Service says that the Los Angeles region will be in a "Fire Weather Watch" Tuesday through Thursday since critical fire weather conditions are forecasted. Temperatures will hit the high 80s, low 90s, humidity will be low and the Santa Ana winds will return, albeit predicted to be "weak to locally moderate." more ›

This weekend's weather should be very nice. Temps are expected to be in the 70s through Monday before they rise into the 80s and 90s start rising mid-week. If things seem back to normal after a week of wildfires, don't get too comfortable. The Weather Guys at USA Today warn us: "A red flag wildfire warning remains in effect through late Friday in southern California, but conditions should improve over the weekend ahead of another wind and wildfire threat next week." more ›

The National Weather Service released an alert this afternoon announcing that the Santa Anas have weakened and wind advisories throughout most of the region ended at 3:00 p.m. However, the advisory for the mountain areas of Ventura County and LA County (excluding the Santa Monica Mt. Range) are still in effect until 8:00 p.m. tonight. The good news out of this is that air quality could improve with wind subsiding on the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley floors. Still, weather can change in an instant and fire departments are taking no chances. UPDATE: Another e-mail from the NWS says that Red Flag Warnings will still remain in effect until 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. more ›

The city seems to have gone completely mad. From a 16 year-old shot in Northridge to a 70 year-old stabbed to death in Hollywood, Sunday was just another day in what is starting to feel like an out-of-control crime wave. more ›

If you're looking for 20-25 ft. waves, you better at least head up to Point Conception or past Eureka for even higher ones. If 7-14 ft. waves are your style, then stay LA.The surf will build throughout today and tonight, peaking Wednesday. By Thursday, the swell is expected to diminish into the 5- to 7-foot range, Seto said. A rainstorm from the Northwest is expected Thursday through Saturday, bringing more than an inch of... more ›

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Hide the knives, Joan Didion: the Santa Anas are coming! The Santa Anas are coming! The new assistant director over at the Los Angeles branch of the FBI has experience in the domestic terror, white-collar crime, and foreign relations divisions; he has also spent time in Mexico City as an FBI legal attache. This week's Sign of the Apocalypse: kids as young as thirteen and fourteen are now getting into the paparazzi business. We... more ›

These are the last days of summer. At least that's what they say on the news and in the marketplace. But here in Southern California, it only gets hotter as the days grow shorter. (At least the pools won't close just yet). But -- Holy Dallas Raines -- early this morning, with temps stuck in the mid-70s, we've got thunder and lightning! Unfortunately, the electricity in the air has no bearing on California's energy supply,... more ›

The Santa Anas blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whiskers of pale straw. Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves. We could not sleep in the hot dry nights, my mother and I. I woke up at midnight to find her bed empty. I climbed to the roof and easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame in the light of the three-quarter moon. more ›

- Yes there is a marching band called The Santa Ana Winds - Yes, Raymond Chandler wrote this about the winds in "Red Wind": "those hot dry [winds] that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks.... more ›

This year's election is having a similar effect on Angelenos as the Santa Anas: people are irritable, frustrated, and right on the edge of a good fight or a hysterical breakdown. more ›

Los Angeles Times's staffer David Pierson reports that county officials closed 80% of the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, forcing canyon residents to evacuate: more ›