Santa Ana Wind

17.12.2024

Santa Ana Wind

Why in the news?                        

Recently, experts suggest that Santa Ana winds and climate change are fueling wildfires in Malibu coastal town of Malibu, California.

About Santa Ana Wind:

• It is named after Southern California's Santa Ana Canyon.
• Santa Ana winds are dry and warm (often hot) winds in the Southern California area that blow in from the desert -- which includes the Great Basin of the western United States.
• Origin: Santa Ana winds blow when high pressure builds over the Great Basin — the area between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in the Western United States) — and the pressure is low over California’s coast.
• The difference in pressure triggers the movement of powerful winds from the Basin’s inland deserts, east and north of Southern California, over the mountains toward the Pacific Ocean.
• As the wind comes down the mountains, it compresses and heats up. The wind’s humidity also drops, sometimes to less than 20% or even less than 10%. The extremely low moisture turns vegetation dry, making it ready to burn.
• Winter weather patterns allow high pressure to build near the surface of the Great Basin, which then interacts with low-pressure air over the Pacific.
• Santa Ana winds usually occur from October to January.

                                                                 Source: The Hindu

Consider the following statements regarding the Santa Ana wind:

Statement-I:It is a dry and warm wind that builds over the Great Basin area.

Statement-II :It usually occurs from April to June.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer C