Santa Ana wind
Encyclopedia
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s that characteristically sweep through Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in late fall and winter. They can range from hot to cold, depending on the prevailing temperatures in the source regions, the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
and upper Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
. The winds are known for the hot dry weather (often the hottest of the year) that they bring in the fall, and are infamous for fanning regional wildfires.
Meteorology
The National Weather ServiceNational Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
defines Santa Ana winds as
"Strong down slope winds that blow through the mountain passes in southern California. These winds, which can easily exceed 40 mph, are warm and dry and can severely exacerbate brush or forest fires, especially under drought conditions."
It is often said that the air is heated and dried as it passes through the Mojave
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and Sonoran
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, but according to meteorologists this is a popular misconception. The Santa Ana winds usually form during autumn and early spring when the surface air in the elevated regions of the Great Basin and Mojave Desert (the "high desert") becomes cool or even cold, although they may form at virtually any time of year. The air heats up due to adiabatic heating during its descent. While the air has already been dried by orographic lift
Orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions,...
before reaching the Great Basin as well as by subsidence from the upper atmosphere, the relative humidity of the air is further decreased as it descends from the high desert toward the coast, often falling below 10 percent.
The air from the high desert is initially relatively dense owing to its coolness and aridity, and thus tends to channel down the valleys and canyons in gusts which can attain hurricane force at times. As it descends, the air not only becomes drier, but also warms adiabatically
Adiabatic process
In thermodynamics, an adiabatic process or an isocaloric process is a thermodynamic process in which the net heat transfer to or from the working fluid is zero. Such a process can occur if the container of the system has thermally-insulated walls or the process happens in an extremely short time,...
by compression. The southern California coastal region gets some of its hottest weather of the year during autumn while Santa Ana winds are blowing. During Santa Ana conditions it is typically hotter along the coast than in the deserts.
Chinook wind
Chinook winds , often called chinooks, commonly refers to foehn winds in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest.Chinook is claimed...
or the original Föhn). The Santa Ana winds do not originate in precipitation, but in the bone-dry high deserts.
The combination of wind, heat, and dryness accompanying the Santa Ana winds turns the chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
into explosive fuel feeding the infamous wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s for which the region is known. Wildfires fanned by Santa Ana winds burned 721791 acres (2,921 km²) in two weeks during October 2003.
These same winds have contributed to the fires that have burned some 426000 acres (1,724 km²) as of late October 2007.
Although the winds often have a destructive nature, they have some positive benefits as well. They cause cold water to rise from below the surface layer of the ocean, bringing with it many nutrients that ultimately benefit local fisheries. As the winds blow over the ocean, sea surface temperatures drop about 4°C (7°F), indicating the upwelling
Upwelling
Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The increased availability in upwelling regions results in high levels of primary...
. Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
concentrations in the surface water go from negligible, in the absence of winds, to very active at more than 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter in the presence of the winds.
Local boating
During the Santa Ana winds, large ocean waves can develop. These waves come from a northeasterly direction; toward the normally sheltered side of Catalina Island. Protected harbors such as AvalonAvalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
and Two Harbors
Two Harbors, California
Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village on Santa Catalina Island, California with a population of 298 . It is the second center of population on the island, besides the city of Avalon. It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one...
are normally protected and the waters within the harbors are very calm. In strong Santa Ana conditions, these harbors develop high surf and strong winds that can tear boats from their moorings and crash them onto the shore. During a Santa Ana, it is advised that boaters moor on the back side of the island to avoid the dangerous conditions of the front side.
Santa Ana fog
A Santa Ana fog is a derivative phenomenon in which a ground fogFog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
settles in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
during the end of a Santa Ana wind episode. When Santa Ana conditions prevail, with winds in the lower two to three kilometers (1.25-1.8 miles) of the atmosphere from the north through east, the lower atmosphere continues to be dry. When the Santa Ana winds cease, the cool and moist marine layer
Marine layer
A marine layer is an air mass which develops over the surface of a large body of water such as the ocean or large lake in the presence of a temperature inversion. The inversion itself is usually initiated by the cooling effect of the water on the surface layer of an otherwise warm air mass...
forms rapidly. The air in the marine layer becomes very moist and fog occurs.
A related phenomenon occurs when the Santa Ana condition is present but weak, allowing hot dry air to accumulate in the inland valleys that may not push all the way to sea level. Under these conditions auto commuters can drive from the San Fernando Valley where conditions are sunny and warm, over the low Santa Monica Mountains, to plunge into the cool cloudy air, low clouds, and fog characteristic of the marine air mass. This and the "Santa Ana fog" above constitute examples of an air inversion
Inversion (meteorology)
In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...
.
Sundowner Winds
The similar winds in the Santa Barbara area occur most frequently in the late spring to early summer, and are strongest at sunset, or "sundown," hence their name, sundownerSundowner (wind)
A sundowner is an offshore northerly Foehn wind in Santa Barbara, California. It occurs when a region of high pressure is directly north of the area, whose coast trends east–west. This contrasts with the more typical onshore flow...
. Since high pressure areas usually migrate east, changing the pressure gradient in southern California to the northeast, it is common for "sundowner" wind events to precede Santa Ana events by a day or two.
Arctic and Antarctic katabatic winds
Winds blowing off the elevated glaciated plateaus of GreenlandGreenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and Antarctica experience the most extreme form of katabatic wind
Katabatic wind
A katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning "going downhill", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also called fall winds...
, of which the Santa Ana is a type, for the most part. The winds start at a high elevation and flow outward and downslope, attaining hurricane gusts in valleys, along the shore, and even out to sea. Like the Santa Ana, these winds also heat up by compression and lose humidity, but since they start out so extraordinarily cold and dry and blow over snow and ice all the way to the sea, the perceived difference is negligible.
Historical impact
The winds are also associated with some of the area's largest and deadliest wildfireWildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s, including the state's largest fire on record, the Cedar Fire
Cedar Fire
The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire that burned out of control through a large area of San Diego County, in Southern California, in October 2003...
, as well as the Laguna Fire
Laguna Fire
The Laguna Fire, previously known as the Kitchen Creek Fire and the Boulder Oaks Fire, occurred in 1970 in eastern San Diego County, California of Southern California. It was the second largest wildfire in the history of California at that time, after the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889...
, Old Fire
Old Fire
The Old Fire was a wildfire that started on October 25, 2003 in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County of southern California.It was one of over a dozen wildfires burning in Southern California wildlands at the same time...
, Esperanza Fire
Esperanza Fire
The Esperanza Fire was a wind-driven, arson-caused wildfire that was started in a river wash near Cabazon, California, west of Palm Springs, California. By Sunday, October 29, 2006, it had burned over 61 square miles and was 85% contained...
, Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 and the Witch Fire.
In October 2007 the winds fueled major wild fires and house burnings
October 2007 California wildfires
The October 2007 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 500,000 acres of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border...
in Escondido
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
, Malibu, Rainbow
Rainbow, California
Rainbow is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 1,832 at the 2010 census, down from 2,026 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rainbow is located at ....
, San Marcos
San Marcos, California
San Marcos is a suburb of San Diego in the North County section of San Diego County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 83,781. Outside the San Diego region, it is best known as the home of California State University, San Marcos...
, Carlsbad
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
, Rancho Bernardo, Poway
Poway, California
Poway is a city in San Diego County, California. Originally an unincorporated community in San Diego County, Poway officially became a city in December 1980. Even though Poway lies geographically in the middle of San Diego County, most consider its relative location as north county inland...
, Ramona
Ramona, California
Ramona is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,292 at the 2010 census.The term Ramona also refers to an unincorporated community that includes both the Ramona CDP and the adjacent CDP of San Diego Country Estates CDP...
, and in the major cities of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
, San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The Santa Ana winds were also a factor in the November 2008 California wildfires
November 2008 California wildfires
The November 2008 California wildfires are a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on November 13. At least 400 houses and 500 mobile homes were destroyed...
.
Health effects
The winds carry Coccidioides immitisCoccidioides immitis
Coccidioides immitis is a pathogenic fungus that resides in the soil in certain parts of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and a few other areas in the Western Hemisphere....
and Coccidioides posadasii
Coccidioides posadasii
Coccidioides posadasii is a pathogenic fungus that, along with Coccidioides immitis, is the causative agent of coccidioidomycosis in humans. It resides in the soil in certain parts of the Southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and certain other areas in the Americas.C. posadasii and C...
spores into nonendemic areas, a pathogenic fungus that causes Coccidioidomycosis
Coccidioidomycosis
Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease caused by Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii. It is endemic in certain parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and northwestern Mexico.C...
("Valley Fever"). Symptomatic infection (40% of cases) usually presents as an influenza-like illness with fever, cough, headaches, rash, and myalgia (muscle pain). Serious complications include severe pneumonia, lung nodules, and disseminated disease, where the fungus spreads throughout the body. The disseminated form of Coccidioidomycosis can devastate the body, causing skin ulcers, abscesses, bone lesions, severe joint pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems, meningitis, and often death.
The United States government worked on a vaccine for Coccidioidomycosis during the mid-1960s, in the hopes of weaponizing C. immitis for use as an incapacitant. But the work was abandoned when medical epidemiology uncovered lethal effects on several segments of the population, and C. immitis was reclassified as a lethal agent.
The winds also create positive ions which affects people's mood negatively, and statistics show increases in the number of suicides and homicides.
Etymology
According to the Los Angeles Almanac: "The original spelling of the name of the winds is unclear, not to mention the origin." The name "Santa Ana Winds" is said to be traced to Spanish California, when the winds were called devil winds due to their heat.Santa Ana winds may get their name from the Santa Ana Mountains
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
in Orange County, the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
or Santa Ana Canyon
Santa Ana Canyon
Santa Ana Canyon is where the Santa Ana River passes between the Santa Ana Mountains and the Chino Hills, near the intersection of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. It receives particularly strong Santa Ana winds in comparison to surrounding areas, hence the name.-History:Originally,...
, along which the winds are particularly strong. The original form may have been an Anglicized version of the Spanish, Satana's winds, from the Spanish vientos de Satán ("winds of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
"). Sanatanas is a rarer form of Satanas and is a translation of a native name in an unspecified language.
Dr. George Fischbeck
George Fischbeck
Dr. George Fischbeck was a popular elementary school science teacher and television weatherman on KOB-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico from the early 1960s to early 1970s. In 1972 he moved to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California, replacing Alan Sloane, where he became a staple on the station's...
was a widely viewed newscaster in Southern California in the 1970s and 1980s who helped to familiarize Californians with the winds, which he referred to by their other common name, the "Santana winds" (Santana is a Spanish contraction for Santa Ana), noting that they were not confined to Orange County (where Santa Ana is located), but occurred throughout Southern California. He delighted in the symbolism of the devil's breath playing havoc with Southern California.
A recent popular guide book Los Angeles A to Z (by Leonard & Dale Pitt), credits the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County as the origin of the name Santa Ana winds. This might be supported by early accounts which attributed the Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
bed running through the canyon as the source of the winds. However, since the phenomenon occurs throughout Southern California and not just Orange County, this explanation is likely only a recent one.
One account places the origin of the term Santa Ana winds with an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
correspondent stationed in Santa Ana who mistakenly began using Santa Ana winds instead of Santana winds in a 1901 dispatch.
Santa Ana winds in popular culture
1970s
- The 1970 Tim BuckleyTim BuckleyTimothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
song "Venice Beach" includes the lyrics "White heat of swaying day/ Dark slap of conga cries/ 'Come out and breathe as one'/ Salt sea and fiddles drone/ Out on the dancing stone/ While the Santanas blow/ Sing the music boats in the bay." - Debby BooneDebby BooneDeborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
's 1978 album Midstream includes the song "California", with the lyric, "...California, where the sun is warm, where the winds called Santa Ana make you feel like you belong..."
1980s
- The Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
song "Santa Ana Winds" appears on their 1980 album Keepin' the Summer AliveKeepin' the Summer Alive-Singles:* "Goin' On" b/w "Endless Harmony" , March 11, 1980 US #83* "Livin' with a Heartache" b/w "Santa Ana Winds" , May 20, 1980...
. - The song "Babylon Sisters" by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen from the Steely DanSteely DanSteely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
album "Gaucho" (1980) has the refrain "Here come those Santa Ana winds again." - The Santa Ana Winds are referred to in the 1983 song "I Love L.A.I Love L.A."I Love L.A." is a song about Los Angeles, California written and recorded by Randy Newman. It was originally released on his 1983 album Trouble in Paradise...
" by Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
: "And the Santa Ana Winds blowing hot from the north..." - On SurvivorSurvivor (band)Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
's 1983 album Caught in the GameCaught in the GameCaught in the Game is the fourth album by American rock band Survivor, released in 1983. It features guest appearances by Mr. Mister's Richard Page and REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin....
, there is included an atmospheric song named "Santa Ana Winds" that refers to a disastrous woman. - Steve GoodmanSteve GoodmanSteve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
's Santa Ana Winds, the last album released before his death in 1984, contains the song of the same name. Goodman wrote this analogy of unrequited love from the view of a man from a city where wind is understood. - The a capella group The BobsThe BobsThe Bobs were dubbed the first new wave a cappella group in history when they were founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1980s. Now based in Seattle, Washington, this genre-bending, eccentric vocal group has maintained a healthy cult following in the U.S...
' song "Santa Ana Woman" from their 1988 album Songs for Tomorrow Morning has the line "The Santa Ana winds had come back / And the whole city of LA was acting like it had PMS." - The band Animal LogicAnimal Logic (band)Animal Logic is the name of a band formed in 1987 by ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland, virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke, and singer-songwriter Deborah Holland...
recorded a song "Winds Of Santa Ana" appearing in the band's self-titled 1989 album.
1990s
- The song "Summer RainSummer Rain (Belinda Carlisle song)"Summer Rain" is a song written by Robbie Seidman and Maria Vidal, produced by Rick Nowels for Belinda Carlisle's third album Runaway Horses . The song is about a man who goes away to war and leaves his wife, saying that nothing will change—they will be together forever and always. The song is set...
" (1990) by Belinda CarlisleBelinda CarlisleBelinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
has the lyrics "I remember the rain on our skin. And his kisses hotter than the Santa Ana winds." - RancidRancid (band)Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
makes reference to the winds in the song "Brad Logan" on the Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1998). "California sun has sunk/ behind the Anaheim hills; here comes the night/ I was high on junk/ and the warm winds of Santa Ana feel alright."
2000s
- The song "Mansfield" from Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's 2001 album Songs from the West CoastSongs from the West CoastSongs from the West Coast is the twenty-seventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released worldwide on 1 October 2001. Many critics have said that this album brought John back to his piano-based musical roots. He once again collaborated with long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin....
mentions a "California moon" and contains the lyrics "The Santa Ana winds blew warm into your room". - Bad ReligionBad ReligionBad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
mentions the winds a few times, using their nickname "murder winds", "St. Anne's skirts are billowing" and the line "The fans of Santa Ana are withering" in the song "Los Angeles Is Burning" from the 2004 album The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
. "When the hills of Los Angeles are burning/ Palm trees are candles in the murder winds/ So many lives are on the breeze/ Even the stars are ill at ease/ And Los Angeles is burning." - The song "Catch My DiseaseCatch My Disease"Catch My Disease" is a single by Australian artist Ben Lee. It is from the album Awake Is the New Sleep, which was produced in U.S. The song gained moderate popularity and went to #27 in Australia, and also came in second place in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2005.The song also got some international...
" (2005) by Ben LeeBen LeeBenjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
has the lyrics "She told me about the winds from Santa Ana/ And that's the way I like it." - Danish band MewMew (band)Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006...
's song "The Zookeeper's Boy" from their 2005 album And the Glass Handed Kites refers to the winds in the lyric "Santa Ana winds bring seasickness." - Jason MrazJason MrazJason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
's unreleased "Silent Love Song" refers to the Santa Ana winds. - MidniteMidniteMidnite is a roots reggae band hailing from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, which has been playing since 1989.The band's music follows in tradition with the roots reggae bands of 1970s Jamaica. The lyrical portions of Midnite's compositions are characterized as the "chant and call" style which...
mentions the Santa Ana winds in a track called "Mexicanadamerica" from the album, Ina Now. - Cold War Kids EP "Behave Yourself" references the Santa Ana Winds in a track of the same name.
- British Indie RockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, The Wedding PresentThe Wedding PresentThe Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
released their eighth studio album, El ReyEl Rey-People:*Juan Carlos I of Spain , current King of Spain*Don Omar, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer nicknamed El Rey-Locations:*El Ray, a legendary city in Mexico, a safe haven for criminals from the US*El Rey National Park in Argentina...
in 2008 which begins with the song "Santa Ana Winds" containing the lyrics "Outside, the Santa Ana Winds are blowing hot/Inside, some things are happening that really should not." - Rock band Sons of Bill have a song called "Santa Ana Winds" that the blog site The Californiality says "lyrically portrays the emotions of one who visits the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles as the Santa Ana winds go to his head, calling out his name in the blinding moonlight." and claims "That pretty much sums up how the famous Santa Ana winds affect people. It's a bizarre experience, but Sons Of Bill make it totally rock with one of the coolest songs about California this year."
Literature
- Raymond ChandlerRaymond ChandlerRaymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
's 1938 detective story "Red Wind" opens with a description of the Santa Anas and their effect on the populace. - Erle Stanley GardnerErle Stanley GardnerErle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
(writing as A.A. Fair) described the winds in chapter 12 of his 1941 novel Double or QuitsCool and LamCool and Lam is the fictional American private detective firm that is the center of a series of detective novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner using the pen name of A. A...
; the winds were relevant to an experiment carried out by the fictional detective who was attempting to prove whether a man's death was accidental. - The Santa Ana winds are the subject of a 1965 essay by Joan DidionJoan DidionJoan Didion is an American author best known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation...
entitled "Los Angeles Notebook," which appears in her Slouching Towards BethlehemSlouching Towards BethlehemSlouching Towards Bethlehem is a 1968 collection of essays by Joan Didion and mainly describes her experiences in California during the 1960s. It takes its title from the poem "The Second Coming," by W. B. Yeats...
collection of essays. - The Santa Ana winds are important aspects in the 1985 novel Less Than Zero by Bret Easton EllisBret Easton EllisBret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...
. - The Santa Ana winds are important to the plot of the 1999 novel White OleanderWhite OleanderWhite Oleander is a 1999 novel by American author Janet Fitch. It is a coming-of-age story about a child who is separated from her mother and placed in a series of foster homes. The book was a selection by Oprah's Book Club in May 1999 and became a 2002 film.-Plot summary:Astrid Magnussen is a...
by Janet FitchJanet FitchJanet Fitch is most famously known as the author of the Oprah's Book Club novel White Oleander, which became a film in 2002. She is a graduate of Reed College, located in Portland, Oregon....
. - Lee ChildLee ChildJim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
describes the winds and their effect in his 2007 novel Bad Luck and Trouble. - Neil PeartNeil PeartNeil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
's autobiography/travelogue Traveling Music begins with a lengthy description of his adopted hometown, Santa MonicaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, including a passage about the Santa Ana winds. - The 2008 Robert CraisRobert CraisRobert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest...
book Chasing DarknessChasing DarknessChasing Darkness is a 2008 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the twelfth in a series of linked novels centering on the private investigator Elvis Cole...
, featuring his longtime P.I. character Elvis Cole, begins in the burning hills of L.A. during the Santa Ana wind-ravaged fire season. - The prologue of Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
's 2001 Coldheart CanyonColdheart CanyonColdheart Canyon is a novel by Clive Barker, published in 2001 by HarperCollins. The paperback edition was published by HarperTorch on November 5, 2002 . The story centers around Todd Pickett, a failing movie star, and Tammy Lauper, Todd's obsessive fan.-Synopsis:The story begins in Romania during...
describes in three pages how the winds "come sighing off the desert, heavy with their perfume..." in a metaphysical as well as environmental sense.
Television
- Several references to the winds are made in the hit TV show Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
. - The above Chandler passage is quoted by Ed AsnerEd AsnerEdward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
in his role as Lou GrantLou Grant (fictional character)Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
in The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
as an example of how to write prose. - The above Chandler passage is read by Chris StevensChris StevensChris Stevens may refer to:* Chris Stevens , reviewer for CNET* Chris Stevens , character in the television series Northern Exposure...
(John Corbett) at the beginning of the episode "Ill Wind" of the TV series Northern ExposureNorthern ExposureNorthern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
. - Kitty's fear of the winds were featured in the "Date Night" episode of the ABC series Brothers & Sisters.
- Reference made on Showtime's WeedsWeeds (TV series)Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
in the end of season three, when Santa Anas fuel a fire in the hills surrounding the suburbSuburbThe word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Agrestic. The character Celia Hodes also complains about the effect of the Santa Ana winds in her house. - Cycle 11 of America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
featured a shoot where contestants portrayed natural disasters. Contestant Analeigh Tipton portrayed the winds. - In the West Wing Episode 'Duck and Cover' Santa Ana Season is mentioned as providing favourable conditions during a nuclear accident in California.
- In an episode of SouthlandSouthland-Australia:* Westfield Southland, a large retail complex located in the suburb of Cheltenham, approximately 16 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD in Australia-Canada:* Greater Toronto Area...
titled 'The Winds', the Santa Ana Winds are mentioned multiple times and play a key role throughout the episode. - The Television show PopularPopularPopular may in various ways refer to:*an adjective referring to any people or population*Social status, the quality of being well-liked or well-known*Popularity, the quality of being well-liked...
features the winds in Windstruck season one, episode 4.
See also
- Climate of the Los Angeles BasinClimate of the Los Angeles BasinThe Los Angeles Basin is noted for its moderate weather. It is characterized by a Mediterranean climate or seasonal changes in rainfall——dry summer and rainy winter——but relatively modest transitions in temperature...
- Chinook windChinook windChinook winds , often called chinooks, commonly refers to foehn winds in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest.Chinook is claimed...
- Diablo windDiablo windDiablo wind is a name that has been occasionally used for the hot, dry offshore wind from the northeast that typically occurs in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California during the spring and fall. The same wind pattern also affects other parts of California's coastal ranges...
- Foehn wind
- Katabatic windKatabatic windA katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning "going downhill", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also called fall winds...
- Sundowner (wind)Sundowner (wind)A sundowner is an offshore northerly Foehn wind in Santa Barbara, California. It occurs when a region of high pressure is directly north of the area, whose coast trends east–west. This contrasts with the more typical onshore flow...
- SiroccoSiroccoSirocco, scirocco, , jugo or, rarely, siroc is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe. It is known in North Africa by the Arabic word qibli or ghibli Sirocco, scirocco, , jugo or, rarely, siroc is a Mediterranean wind...
- Bora (wind)Bora (wind)Bora or Bura is a northern to north-eastern katabatic wind in the Adriatic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey....
- OroshiOroshi, is the Japanese term for a wind blowing strong down the slope of a mountain, occasionally as strong gusts of wind which can cause damage. Oroshi is a strong local wind across the Kanto Plain on the Japan Sea side of central Honshu...