Another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana winds is lashing Southern California after a brief weekend reprieve helped crews make more progress battling the deadly infernos in Los Angeles County.

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.