The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

Resident Nicolas Libonati said he saw a lot of abandoned cars on the road, and people running toward the coast. "It was kind of a surreal scene," he said.

Southern California faces "extremely critical fire weather" with powerful winds that will result in "widespread" downed trees, power lines and electricity outages Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Weather Service warns.

Santa Ana winds are fueling dangerous wildfire conditions in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

Los Angeles, California has declared a state of emergency as a fast developing wildfire situation emerged last night, with the Pacific Palisades fire now

San Diego Gas & Electric said on Tuesday it's been watching the weather for the past week, and their guard is going to be up until the end of this one.

The potentially hazardous conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the NWS.

A "life-threatening" windstorm hitting Southern California has caused a major brush fire and thousands of power outages.