The hot, dry Santa Ana winds have the potential to turn small brush fires into raging infernos, and that keeps firefighters on their toes during heat waves.
On Wednesday, however, a new online tool that could potentially help fire agencies gauge the likelihood of a catastrophic fire was unveiled.
It's called the Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index, a classification system that analyzes the fire threat potential of the powerful Santa Ana winds.
The index shows whether a fire may grow rapidly to uncontrollably as a result of weather conditions like gusty winds, and can alert first responders and the public in time to take appropriate action.
Roger Pierce, the director of the National Weather Service in San Diego, said he believes this new tool help the public be better prepared for wildfires.
The classification system is based on Southern California weather data. It has four levels, ranging from "Marginal" to "Extreme."
"I asked my team to come up with something similar to the categories to rate hurricanes," says Dave Geier, vice president of electric transmission and system engineering at San Diego Gas & Electric.
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The development of the index was a collaboration among San Diego Gas & Electric, UCLA, and the U.S. Forest Service, which was already working on a categorization system for fires and the Santa Ana winds.
The threat index includes four levels -- marginal suggests fires may grow rapidly. An "Extreme" rating means fires could burn very intensely.
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