Growing up along the coast I never really understood the whole “Santa Ana” winds thing. Whenever the local news was going crazy with Santa Ana wind coverage, I was like “What are you talking about Fritz Coleman! There is no wind today! You are a pretty lousy weatherman to not know that.”

But! It turns out that Fritz Coleman wasn’t lying after all. The coast of the South Bay was mostly spared from the Santa Anas.

Now that I actually live in the Santa Ana Canyon – birthplace of this insanity – I’m beginning to see what all the fuss is about.

Last night the winds were so loud I thought my house was going to cave in. This morning as I filled my tank with gas and stood beside my car I had to fight a little to stand upright and keep a grip on the gas pump. It was as if Chuck Norris himself had blown a single breath across all of Southern California.

Learn more about Santa Ana winds at Wikipedia!