Alex Hall in Daily Bruin: Santa Ana winds to reach as high as 80 mph as Getty fire rages on

Alex Hall, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA, said the fires are currently being driven by strong, dry winds coming from the interior west of North America. The direction of the winds is important for how the fires evolve, he said.

“When (the winds) pass over the very dry vegetation that has accumulated over the course of the dry season in California, that creates conditions for fire,” Hall said. “So if there’s an ignition event that coincides with these very dry winds, that can produce a big, big fire.”

Hall added since the winds are blowing west, the fire is unlikely to affect campus beyond changes in air quality or commutes.