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On Friday, an army of firefighters in Ventura County hoped it was finally beginning to turn the tide on the Thomas fire. After burning hundreds of homes, the fire was slowing as Santa Ana winds calmed down. But over the weekend, the fire reemerged with a vengeance, pushing into Santa Barbara County and destroying more homes. Here’s a look at the fire that has refused to die.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and former Vice President Al Gore lead the list of those blaming climate change for Southern California’s devastating wildfires, calling them “the new normal,” but others insist the science just isn’t there. That includes climate scientists such as University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass, who moved to extinguish the “now normal” narrative by arguing that the data “strongly suggests there is no credible evidence” that global warming is fueling this fall’s California coastal wildfires, and that claims to the contrary are “baseless, if not outright wrong.” “The bottom line of all this is that observations and...

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - January 4, 2009 (SocalWeather.Org) Strong Santa Ana Winds are Becoming Likely by End Week into The Weekend. ES1 released to the public on January 1, 2009. The outcome of the forecast was much different than December 2008. In fact the pattern indicated a Santa Ana Wind pattern. The Southern California Weather Authority has released a forecast for Santa Ana Winds to return to the Southern California area as early as Friday. These winds could last into the weekend with gusts over hurricane force in some spots. "We are starting to see the signs of the pattern coming...

Fire-prone areas will also be subject to parking restrictions. State and federal crews are on standby. Dry conditions and a return of Santa Ana winds prompted red flag warnings from the National Weather Service today for Los Angeles and six other Southern California Counties, an indication of added fire risks. The warnings take effect at noon in mountain areas of L.A., Orange, Kern, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino and Ventura counties and are expected to last until 6 p.m. Sunday. Winds of up to 75 mph are expected. Warnings were also issued for coastal areas, where gusts of up to...

RIVERSIDE Santa Ana fire weather is expected to make its second major blast of the year through the Southland next week, and Riverside County fire agencies are making plans to be ready when the winds arrive, Cal Fire officials said. Twenty-five additional fire trucks will be staffed, positioned and ready to go Tuesday, officials told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. By Wednesday, wind gusts approaching 70 miles per hour can be expected, forecasters told the paper. More than a thousand dead or diseased trees were blown over by strong winds during the three-day Santa Ana condition that started Oct. 21, and many...

The Santana Winds or Santa Ana Winds, most common in the late summer and early fall, begin with dry air moving in from the interior of the U.S. towards Southern California. As this air flows down into the Los Angeles-Orange County Basin through the low gaps in the mountains (notably Cajon Pass on the east end of the San Gabriel Mountains and Soledad Pass south of Palmdale), it compresses and warms about five degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet that it descends. Though these winds are much cooler high in the mountains, they can become hot and dry and assume...

UPDATE: The city of Malibu is advising residents in Puerco Canyon to begin evacuating due to a wildfire driven by powerful winds. This area is north of Pacific Coast Highway and about 1 mile west of Pepperdine University. Residents along the beach on Malibu Road may soon be evacuated. Pacific Coast Highway is closed between Kanan-Dume Road and Topanga Canyon. Residents are advised to head to the west. Evacuation centers are being set up in the Zuma Beach area. A wildfire driven by powerful winds in the Malibu Hills this morning threatened a university, destroyed at least one home and...

MALIBU, Calif. - A wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds destroyed eight seaside mansions and damaged five others Monday as it spread over more than 10 acres in this celebrity enclave, authorities said. Flames boiled furiously out of the skeletons of million-dollar beach homes as palm trees bent in winds blowing at 21 mph. More than 300 firefighters battled the blaze, which began about 5 p.m., said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Ron Haralson. The blaze erupted near West Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road. Residents were being evacuated on the west end of the canyon road, Sheriff's Sgt....

************************************** The season for Santa Ana winds has been unusually busy and slow to end. Yet another outburst of the strong, dry winds is in the offing and it will start late on New Year's Day. High pressure building over the Inter Mountain together with north-to-south winds over Southern California will crank up strong Santa Ana winds Monday late afternoon or evening. The strong, fitful winds will then last through the day Tuesday. Through the wind-prone passes and canyons, wind gusts will reach 50 to perhaps 70 mph. Story By AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews

**************************************** The two-week anniversary of the deadly Esperanza fire is still a few days away, but already Southern California will have to deal with another round of Santa Ana winds. As an upper-level ridge of high pressure builds into the Southwest, the north to northeast winds circulating around the ridge will blow offshore tonight and into Monday. With the winds gusting up to 40 mph over the mountains and through the passes and canyons, any fire that starts could quick spread. In addition, the extremely dry and warm conditions created by the Santa Ana winds (Downtown Los Angeles looks to...

California Watches and Warnings National Weather Service Zone - CAZ042 SGXNPWSGX WWUS76 KSGX 251746 NPWSGX URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 1046 AM PDT WED OCT 25 2006 SANTA ANA WINDS EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY... .DEVELOPING OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG GUSTY SANTA ANA WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES THURSDAY MORNING. CAZ048-057-260315- /O.UPG.KSGX.HW.A.0004.061026T1200Z-061028T1800Z/ /O.NEW.KSGX.HW.W.0005.061026T0300Z-061027T0300Z/ SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- 1046 AM PDT WED OCT 25 2006 HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING...

<p>Santa Ana winds, which kicked up huge dust clouds Monday that created a haze across much of the county, will gust to 40 mph or higher today, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a red-flag warning. The advisory means forecasters expect the wind to blow 25 mph or above for sustained periods and for humidity to drop below 15 percent.</p>