Page 28 - ARUBS TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 11 OctOber 2017

AP Explains: Hot, dry Diablo Wind scorched wine country

By JOHN ANTCZAK coast, the air speeds up
Associated Press like a river through the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Noto- narrow passes, loses mois-
rious winds linked to many ture and heats up as it
of California’s worst wild- descends through passes
fires are known by various and canyons.The plunge in
names — Diablo, Santa relative humidity saps mois-
Ana and Sundowner — but ture from vegetation. High
all share the common trait wind speeds combined
of being able to whip a with any flame can pro-
spark into a deadly inferno duce a blowtorch.
that seems to come out of The origin of the wind’s
nowhere. name has never been set-
Here’s a look at where and tled. But most arguments
when these winds occur: mention Santa Ana Can-
DIABLO WIND yon in Orange County.
This wind fanned the dead- SUNDOWNER
ly firestorms that turned The southern coast of San-
swaths of Northern Cali- ta Barbara County is prone
fornia wine country into to dry winds that blow
an ashen moonscape down the slopes of the
on Monday.The name is Santa Ynez Mountains and
informally applied to a The sun rises through a cloud of smoke after a wildfire swept through the area in Sonoma County out to sea, often in the late
hot, dry wind in the San on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. afternoon or early evening,
Francisco Bay region that Associated Press sending temperatures and
blows from the interior to- fire danger soaring.
ward the coast.Known as coast.The air is so dry that time record for dryness. A than 3,000 homes and Among the worst Sund-
an offshore wind — the relative humidity levels bumper crop of grasses apartments. owners was the notorious
direction the air is moving plunge, drying out vegeta- produced by record winter SANTA ANA WIND 1990 Painted Cave fire that
toward — it’s the reverse tion, making them ready to rains combined with heavi- This name is given to off- quickly burned more than
of the normal onshore flow burn.In forecasting the off- er vegetation stressed by shore winds that sweep 400 homes and killed one
of cool, moist air from the shore wind event on Sun- years of extreme drought through Southern Califor- person.
Pacific Ocean.The wind is day, the National Weather and disease, the weather nia, commonly during fall, TAKEAWAY
spawned as high pressure Service noted that analy- service said.During the and fan fires like the one “For the last 25 years or
builds over the West and sis by land management event, wind peaked at 79 that erupted at midmorn- so the Oakland hills fire
air flows toward areas of agencies showed that fu- mph (127 kph) in northern ing Monday in Orange has been the seminal fire
lower pressure along the els were at or near an all- Sonoma, and a Santa Rosa County suburbs southeast event that was seared
weather station recorded of Los Angeles. into Bay Area residents’
a temperature spike of 91 A classic Santa Ana is psyche. For the current
degrees at 4:30 a.m., the formed when high pres- generation of North Bay
weather service said. sure over the Great Basin residents, today’s firestorm
The most infamous Dia- causes air to flow out of will leave an indelible scar
blo wind occurred in 1991 the interior in a clockwise and for years to come we
when remnants of a tiny rotation and enter South- will all recall the Columbus
blaze were whipped into ern California from the Day firestorm.” — Meteo-
Tour to the Red Light Lipstixaruba@outlook.com an inferno in the hills of northeast. rologist Ryan Wilbrun of the
District with a Private Oakland and Berkeley. The Squeezing through the National Weather Service
Guide & a FREE bottle (297) 630-5329 fire killed 25 people, injured mountain ranges that office for San Francisco/
of wine... 150 and destroyed more separate the desert from Monterey.q