Dangerous Santa Ana winds are expected to return to the Los Angeles area this week, potentially fueling the growth of new and existing wildfires, according to FOX Weather.

In recent days, however, the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds—which have been fanning the flames—have begun to slow down. This lull has offered firefighters a reprieve and a key opportunity to make progress against the blazes, but forecasts suggest the Santa Ana will return next week. What are these gusts, and how have they become so strong?

With gusts reaching over 93 miles per hour, these winds are the main culprits behind the fierce spread of fires in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles firefighters braced for high winds overnight into Tuesday, gusts that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already leveled entire neighborhoods, killed at least two dozen people, and burned an area the size of Washington,

A "Particularly Dangerous Situation" warning remains in effect as strong winds cause extreme fire danger in Southern California.

Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds today through Wednesday across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as the battle to contain rampant blazes goes on.

After a break in strong winds that helped firefighters make progress against the deadly blazes in Southern California ... Winds in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties could reach ...

The ferocious Santa Ana winds that helped fuel the deadly wildfires around Los Angeles are forecast to ease later Wednesday, but they may return.

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.

Multiple counties in Southern California were under red flag warnings from the NWS early Monday, with the service warning of yet another round of Santa Ana winds.

Strong Santa Ana winds rage multiple wildfires across California, including Los Angeles, Palisades, and Eaton. What caused the fires in California to spread so quickly?

The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada