Posted on 10/24/2007 1:01:16 PM PDT by llevrok
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 gale force when descending into the Los Angeles-Orange County Basin. They are often the source of air turbulence for aircraft approaching Los Angeles International Airport.
The original spelling of the of name of the winds is unclear, not to mention the origin. Although the winds have been commonly called Santa Ana Winds or Santa Anas, many argue that the original name is Santana Winds or Santanas. Both versions of the name have been used. The name Santana Winds is said to be traced to Spanish California when the winds were called Devil Winds due to their heat. The reference 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, thereby arguing for the term Santa Anas. This might be supported by early accounts which attributed the Santa Ana riverbed running through the canyon as the source of the winds. Another account placed the origin of Santa Ana Winds with an Associated Press correspondent stationed in Santa Ana who mistakenly began using Santa Ana Winds instead of Santana Winds in a 1901 dispatch.
Special credit for the research assistance of Librarian Nancy Smith of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System Reference Center, Los Angeles Public Library.
hi pressure, low pressure, tomato, tomAhto, illegal alien, undocumented worker, religion of peace, islamofacist.......
LMAO!!
Fiji
Interesting that you should mention that, always wondered why the high school year book is called the El Salano, and they try to say it means the east wind.
Even back in 1901 the MSM was mucking things up!
Babylon Sisters.... shake it
No. He got it right.
LOL. This is the annual debate, but there’s only one right way: Santa Ana.
ROFL.
The Santa Ana winds are of a similar type to the French Mistral or the German Fohn winds. The Chinook is also an example.
I heard an aspect from a weatherman that I hadn’t known.
Besides the clockwise rotation of the high blowing the inland heated air, up over and down the coastal side of the mountains, besides the air heating due to dropping in elevation and gaining speed, and besides the venturi effect of the canyons on the coastal side focusing and increasing the speed, there is another issue that comes into play.
After the winds pick up at mid day and then start to weaken in late afternoon (typically) they often pick back up as the sun sets for another reason. The heated inland air has risen on the eastern side of the mountains as the afternoon heat has convected it into a high pressure ridge area. As the sun sets and the air starts to cool and fall, it rushes back over the mountains again causing some periods of Santa Anna winds to have two period of peak winds each day as they continue.
Not living there, I have to await someone from the area commenting to know if this coincides with their experience and first hand observations.
#$%@!^&* hot winds.....
If they are small winds, are they Santa Anita?.....
Si.
I hate to admit it, but I laughed out loud when I read your post!
So, can you give me a HOT tip?
LOL
Perhaps the Generalissimo wants his prosthetic leg returned.
No way, Jose'!
the real name is in fact Santana wind that is to say, Devil wind, because of the heat that is normally associated with the condition. The term Santa Ana wind is a misnomer.
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