High winds have dramatically raised the risk of wildfires for the next several days.Palisades FireA brush fire in Pacific Palisades has grown to more than 21,000 acres and is forcing residents in the area to leave their homes.

When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

Dry conditions across Southern California set the stage for a series of deadly wind-driven wildfires that burned thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area in early January 2025. Ming Pan, a hydrologist at the University of California-San Diego’s Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes,

Experts explain why Southern California is experiencing its most devastating winter wildfires in decades and what this could mean for the future of fire seasons.

See maps of where mandatory evacuation orders as well as warnings are in place for wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted Tuesday and roared across the Los Angeles area.

While the cause of each blaze has yet to be determined, all burned in or near foothill communities amid gusty winds and dry air and vegetation.