With winds roaring as high as 80 miles an hour in places such as Palomar Mountain, SDG&E earlier this week initiated Public Safety Power Shutoffs that de-energize circuits in areas to help ensure that gusts don’t knock down power lines and possibly start a fire when they hit the ground.

Although the strongest wind gusts have passed through the Southern California region, another "traditional Santa Ana wind event" will move in Thursday night.

Santa Ana winds are caused by strong high pressure over the Great Basin region of the West creating a pressure gradient that amps up winds through the mountains, foothills and sometimes valleys of Southern California. In this case, the winds are getting a major boost from a strong upper-level low pushing southward across the state.