A UCLA climate scientist said the “strong wind event would not have produced a fire catastrophe had we gotten, say, an inch of rain in the past couple of weeks.”

There are at least three dangerous and rapidly spreading wildfires in Los Angeles County each having started on Tuesday, Jan 7.

The intense Santa Ana winds and a trio of large wildfires caused power outages for more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County Tuesday night. Ahead of the strong storm, officials predicted this weather will "likely be the most destructive windstorm seen since 2011.

Wildfires began breaking out in Southern California Tuesday morning as a life-threatening, widespread windstorm that could be one of the most destructive to hit the region in over a decade roars to life and creates extremely dangerous fire weather conditions.

The Santa Ana winds are a notorious wind event in California. It has been fueling the southern California wildfires.

Southern California's Palisades Fire, fueled by a strong windstorm, has grown to 1,261 acres and prompted the city of Los Angeles to declare a state of emergency as 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

A state of emergency has been declared in Southern California as fierce wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds continue to rage. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as flames tear through coastal communities,