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59-633: The steep slopes around the edges of the box canyon section in its upper reaches, making it difficult to enter and leave it, led to its acquiring this name Cajon . Its mouth lies at an elevation of 1,991 feet (607 m), in Cajon Pass near Cajon Junction . Its head is to the west, at 34°23′02″N 117°34′37″W  /  34.38389°N 117.57694°W  / 34.38389; -117.57694 at an elevation of 4,910 feet (1,500 m), and less than 1/2 mile south of Mountain Top Junction where

118-558: A "strange, dust-laden windstorm" arrived in the night while his troops were marching south through California in January 1847. Various episodes of hot, dry winds have been described over this history as dust storms, hurricane-force winds, and violent north-easters, damaging houses and destroying fruit orchards. Newspaper archives have many photographs of regional damage dating back to the beginnings of news reporting in Los Angeles. When

177-569: A full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge. The baby frets. The maid sulks. I rekindle a waning argument with the telephone company, then cut my losses and lie down, given over to whatever is in the air. To live with the Santa Ana is to accept, consciously or unconsciously, a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior. ... [T]he violence and the unpredictability of the Santa Ana affect the entire quality of life in Los Angeles, accentuate its impermanence, its unreliability. The wind shows us how close to

236-416: A pathogenic fungus that causes Coccidioidomycosis ("Valley Fever"). Symptomatic infection (40 percent of cases) usually presents as an influenza-like illness with fever, cough, headaches, rash, and myalgia (muscle pain). Serious complications include severe pneumonia, lung nodules, and disseminated disease, where the fungus spreads throughout the body. The disseminated form of Coccidioidomycosis can devastate

295-411: A strong correlation with the highest "regionally averaged" wind speeds. Santa Ana winds often bring the lowest relative humidities of the year to coastal Southern California. These low humidities, combined with the warm, compressionally-heated air mass , plus the high wind speeds, create critical fire weather conditions. The combination of wind, heat, and dryness accompanying the Santa Ana winds turns

354-423: A sudden and surprising transition from the hot, dry Santa Ana conditions to cool, moist, and gray marine weather, as the Santa Ana fog can blow onshore and envelop cities in as quickly as fifteen minutes. However, a true Santa Ana fog is rare, because it requires conditions conducive to rapid re-forming of the marine layer, plus a rapid and strong reversal in wind gradients from off-shore to on-shore winds. More often,

413-529: A third main track in the summer of 2008. The railroads share track rights through the pass ever since the Union Pacific gained track rights on the Santa Fe portion negotiated under the original Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad . The original BNSF (ATSF) line was built in the 1880s and later roads, U.S. Route 66 and I-15, roughly followed this route. The 3.0% grade for a few miles on the south track

472-433: A week. Schools were closed, and a "state of emergency" was declared. The winds grounded planes at LAX, destroyed homes, and were even strong enough to snap a concrete stop light from its foundation. The winds also ripped through Mammoth Mountain and parts of Utah. Mammoth Mountain experienced a near-record wind gust of 175 mph (282 km/h), on December 1, 2011. Because they are simultaneous "gusty" and "desiccating,"

531-913: Is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California . Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault , it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m). Located in the Mojave Desert , the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley , and northeast to Las Vegas . The Cajon Pass area

590-487: Is a short, well-preserved fragment dating to a rerouting and widening of the highway in the early 1950s. Only the southbound/westbound lanes are in use; the northbound/eastbound lanes and corresponding bridges are closed to through traffic. It is along this stretch of road, accessible via either the Kenwood Avenue or Cleghorn Road exits that some of the best trainspotting areas are found. The Cajon Pass segment of I-15

649-619: Is a strong, warm, and very dry wind blowing out of the bottom of mountain passes into the valleys and coastal plain. These warm, dry winds, which can easily exceed 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), can severely exacerbate brush or forest fires, especially under drought conditions. During Santa Ana conditions it is typically hotter along the coast than in the deserts, with the Southern California coastal region reaching some of its highest annual temperatures in autumn rather than summer. Frigid, dry arctic air from Canada tends to create

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708-465: Is advised that boaters moor on the Southern side of affected islands or return to the mainland. A Santa Ana fog is a derivative phenomenon in which a ground fog settles in coastal Southern California at the end of a Santa Ana wind episode. When Santa Ana conditions prevail, with winds in the lower two to three kilometers (1.25-1.8 miles) of the atmosphere from the north through east, the air over

767-445: Is challenging for long trains, making the westbound descent dangerous, as a runaway can occur if the engineer is not careful in handling the brakes. The second track, built in 1913, is 2 miles (3.2 km) longer to get a lower 2.2% grade. It ran through two short tunnels, but both were removed when the third main track was added next to the 1913 line. Trains may be seen traveling at speeds of 60 and 70 mph (97 and 113 km/h) on

826-560: Is likely a false etymology . In 1933, Father John O'Connell of Mission San Juan Capistrano reported that Don Jesus Aguilar, born 1855 at Capistrano, said that in his day the winds had been called el viento del norte . Santa Ana winds are widely believed to affect people's moods and behavior. The Santa Ana winds are commonly portrayed in fiction as being responsible for a tense, uneasy, wrathful mood among Angelenos. As The New York Times put it in 2003, "a dry, hot Santa Ana often symbolizes an unnamable menace lying just beneath

885-520: Is notorious for high winds, particularly during Santa Ana wind season, with gusts of wind up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). It has been known to cause high-profile vehicles such as semi-trucks to lose control or tip over. During wind advisories, Caltrans will use its Changeable message signs to warn motorists of dangerous weather in the Cajon Pass. Cajon Pass gets snow occasionally, usually not enough to cause closures. When any closure

944-482: Is on the Pacific Crest Trail . Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon , traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad . Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad's maximum elevation from about 3,829 to 3,777 feet (1,167 to 1,151 m) while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather

1003-438: Is thus sometimes identified as Cajon Summit. However, the entire area, including Cajon Summit, is often called Cajon Pass. The Pacific Crest Trail goes through the Cajon Pass area, and during the hiking season up to several thousand transient hikers will pass through this area after walking one of the hottest, driest, and most grueling sections of desert on the trail. A nearby McDonald's restaurant happens to be very close to

1062-533: Is total, California Highway Patrols often provide escorts through the pass as the Interstate 15 is a major artery for the High Desert region. When there is high wind or snow in the Cajon Pass, it is fairly common for weather forecasters or reporters from Los Angeles television stations to do location reports from the Cajon Pass. The San Andreas Fault passes through the Cajon Pass (crossing I-15 on

1121-475: Is typically from the west, although in Santa Ana and other weather conditions it may be out of the north or the southeast. Air spilling over the San Gabriels can cause violent up- and downdrafts. On a normal day, with the wind out of the west, turbulence usually starts a few miles west of Rialto and continues a few miles to the east, growing in strength above the altitude of the mountains and especially over

1180-554: The Riverside Press-Enterprise in 2020: According to research done by Orange County historian Chris Jepsen, the first reported reference to that term comes to us in 1871 from the Anaheim Gazette . To anyone in what would become Orange County at the time, the winds seem to come out of Santa Ana Canyon, hence the name. However, having Santa Ana winds named for their city did not please the members of

1239-592: The 2006 Mercy Air 2 accident , an air ambulance helicopter collided with mountainous terrain near the pass in foggy weather. The California Southern Railroad , a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , was the first railroad through Cajon Pass. The line through the pass was built in the early 1880s to connect the present day cities of Barstow and San Diego . Today the Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway (the successor to

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1298-499: The Angeles Crest Highway intersects California State Highway 138 . California State Route 138 runs through the length of the valley, between Interstate 15 and Angeles Crest Highway. 34°18′20″N 117°27′56″W  /  34.30556°N 117.46556°W  / 34.30556; -117.46556 Cajon Pass Cajon Pass ( / k ə ˈ h oʊ n / ; Spanish : Puerto del Cajón or Paso del Cajón )

1357-795: The Blue Cut Fire again forced the closure of the freeway for several days starting on August 16, 2016. The fire closed the I-15 north and southbound lanes due to the intensity of the fire. It destroyed a number of outbuildings and homes, and destroyed the Summit Inn Restaurant in Oak Hills. A McDonald's restaurant was also burned but the damage was minor. The fire threatened homes in Lytle Creek, Phelan, Oak Hills and Wrightwood and burned 37,000 acres (15,000 ha) Cajon Pass

1416-636: The Brightline West high-speed rail line is currently under construction in Cajon Pass as part of its route between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas. The route will follow the existing I-15 right-of-way. The Mojave Freeway (I-15) was built in 1969 over Cajon Summit west of Cajon Pass. It is a major route from Los Angeles and the Inland Empire to Las Vegas. The freeway runs above and parallel to an original stretch of historic Route 66 and U.S. Route 395 . This stretch, now known as Cajon Boulevard,

1475-555: The Four Corners region, and hydroelectric dams along the Colorado River . During October and November 2003, a number of wildfires devastated the hills and mountainsides near and around the pass, forcing the closure of Interstate 15. The following winter, rains in addition to burnt vegetation caused a number of landslides to further close the freeway pass. On July 17, 2015, during severe drought conditions plaguing

1534-747: The Great Basin . Santa Ana winds are known for the hot, dry weather that they bring in autumn (often the hottest of the year), but they can also arise at other times of the year. They often bring the lowest relative humidities of the year to coastal Southern California, and "beautifully clear skies". These low humidities, combined with the warm, compressionally-heated air mass, plus high wind speeds, create critical fire weather conditions and fan destructive wildfires . Typically, about 10 to 25 Santa Ana wind events occur annually. A Santa Ana can blow from one to seven days, with an average wind event lasting three days. The longest recorded Santa Ana event

1593-464: The Santa Barbara and Goleta area occur most frequently in the late spring to early summer, and are strongest at sunset, or "sundown"; hence their name: sundowner. Because high pressure areas usually migrate east, changing the pressure gradient in Southern California to the northeast, it is common for "sundowner" wind events to precede Santa Ana events by a day or two. The Santa Ana winds and

1652-605: The Sierra Nevada and into the Southern California region. According to one meteorology journal, "a popular rule of thumb used by forecasters is to measure the difference in pressure between the Los Angeles International Airport and Las Vegas ; a difference of 9 millibars (0.27 inches of mercury ) is enough to support a Santa Ana event." Dry air flows outward in a clockwise spiral from the high pressure center. This dry airmass sweeps across

1711-431: The chaparral into explosive fuel feeding the infamous wildfires for which the region is known. Although the winds often have a destructive nature, they have some benefits as well. They cause cold water to rise from below the surface layer of the ocean, bringing with it many nutrients that ultimately benefit local fisheries. As the winds blow over the ocean, sea surface temperatures drop about 4 °C (7 °F ), indicating

1770-694: The upwelling . Chlorophyll concentrations in the surface water go from negligible, in the absence of winds, to very active at more than 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter in the presence of the winds. During the Santa Ana winds, large ocean waves can develop. These waves come from a northeasterly direction toward the normally sheltered sides of the Channel Islands , including commonly visited Catalina and Santa Cruz islands. Normally well-sheltered harbors and anchorages such as Avalon and Two Harbors can develop high surf and strong winds that can tear boats from their moorings. During Santa Ana conditions, it

1829-698: The Chamber of Commerce in the city of Santa Ana , and they fought for years to get the name changed. The name Santa Ana wind became nationally known following a sensationalized 1901 wire story about wind damage. One narrative claimed that the term Santa Ana wind derives from a Native American phrase for "devil wind" that was then altered by Californios into the form "Satanás" (meaning Satan ), and then still later corrupted into "Santa Ana". However, an authority on local Native American languages claims this supposed Indigenous term "Santana" never existed. No evidence has ever emerged to support this explanation and it

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1888-648: The Los Angeles Basin was primarily an agricultural region, the winds were feared particularly by farmers for their potential to destroy crops. In early December 2011, the Santa Ana winds were the strongest yet recorded. An atmospheric set-up occurred that allowed the towns of Pasadena and Altadena in the San Gabriel Valley to get whipped by sustained winds at 97 mph (156 km/h), and gusts up to 167 mph (269 km/h). The winds toppled thousands of trees, knocking out power for over

1947-596: The Pacific Coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions". Santa Ana winds originate from high-pressure airmasses over the Great Basin and upper Mojave Desert. Any low-pressure area over the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, can change the stability of the Great Basin High, causing a pressure gradient that turns the synoptic scale winds southward down the eastern side of

2006-487: The Santa Ana starts to blow, I invariably grow edgy...unable, in the most concrete sense, to settle myself down." There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get

2065-667: The Santa Ana winds are highly associated with regional wildfire danger. The winds have been implicated in some of the area's (and even the state's) largest and deadliest wildfires , including the Thomas Fire , and Cedar Fire , as well as the Laguna Fire , Old Fire , Esperanza Fire , and the Witch Creek Fire . Other major wildfires fueled by Santa Ana winds include: The winds carry Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii spores into nonendemic areas,

2124-582: The Santa Fe) use the pass to reach Los Angeles and San Bernardino as part of the Southern Transcon . Due to the many trains, scenery and easy access, it is a popular location for railfans , and many photographs of trains on Cajon Pass appear in books and magazines. The Union Pacific Railroad owns one track through the pass, on the previous Southern Pacific Railroad Palmdale cutoff, opened in 1967. The BNSF Railway owns two tracks and began to operate

2183-639: The accompanying raging wildfires have been a part of the ecosystem of the Los Angeles Basin for over 5,000 years, dating back to the earliest habitation of the region by the Tongva and Tataviam peoples. The Santa Ana winds have been recognized and reported in English-language records as a weather phenomenon in Southern California since at least the mid-nineteenth century. During the Mexican–American War , Commodore Robert Stockton reported that

2242-554: The body, causing skin ulcers, abscesses, bone lesions, severe joint pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems, meningitis, and often death. The best-accepted explanation for the name Santa Ana winds is that it is derived from the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County , one of the many locations where the winds blow intensely. Newspaper references to the name Santa Ana winds appear as far back as 1882. Per

2301-557: The coast pulls the airmass offshore. Mountain passes which channel these winds include the Soledad Pass , the Cajon Pass , and the San Gorgonio Pass , all well known for exaggerating Santa Anas as they are funneled through. As the wind narrows and is compressed into the passes its velocity increases dramatically, often to near- gale force or above. At the same time, as the air descends from higher elevation to lower,

2360-428: The coastal basin is extremely dry, and this dry air extends out over offshore waters of the Pacific Ocean. When the Santa Ana winds cease, the cool and moist marine layer may re-form rapidly over the ocean if conditions are right. The air in the marine layer becomes very moist and very low clouds or fog occurs. If wind gradients turn on-shore with enough strength, this sea fog is blown onto the coastal areas. This marks

2419-504: The day because the strong offshore desert winds oppose the on-shore sea breeze. At night, the Santa Ana Winds merge with the land breeze blowing from land to sea and strengthen because the inland desert cools more than the ocean due to differences in the heat capacity and because there is no competing sea breeze. Santa Ana winds are associated in the public mind with dry hot weather, but cold Santa Anas not only exist but have

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2478-460: The deserts of eastern California toward the coast, and encounters the towering Transverse Ranges , which separate coastal Southern California from the deserts. The airmass, flowing from high pressure in the Great Basin to a low pressure center off the coast, takes the path of least resistance by channeling through the mountain passes to the lower coastal elevations, as the low pressure area off

2537-435: The edge we are. When the hills of Los Angeles are burning Palm trees are candles in the murder winds So many lives are on the breeze/ Even the stars are ill at ease And Los Angeles is burning. Some of this experienced mood shift is likely due to the increase of static electricity in dry conditions. California folklore therefore credits the winds with "strange luminosity in the form of sparks and glows that accompany

2596-516: The high pressure system over the Great Basin, which caused the Santa Ana conditions in the first place, is slow to weaken or move east across the United States. In this more usual case, the Santa Ana winds cease, but warm, dry conditions under a stationary air mass continue for days or even weeks after the Santa Ana wind event ends. A related phenomenon occurs when the Santa Ana condition is present but weak, allowing hot dry air to accumulate in

2655-480: The inland valleys that may not push all the way to sea level. Under these conditions auto commuters can drive from the San Fernando Valley where conditions are sunny and warm, over the low Santa Monica Mountains, to plunge into the cool cloudy air, low clouds, and fog characteristic of the marine air mass. This and the "Santa Ana fog" above constitute examples of an air inversion . The similar winds in

2714-521: The most intense Santa Ana winds. While the Santa Anas are katabatic, they are not Föhn winds . These result from precipitation on the windward side of a mountain range which releases latent heat into the atmosphere which is then warmer on the leeward side (e.g., the Chinook or the original Föhn). If the Santa Anas are strong, the usual day-time sea breeze may not arise, or develop weak later in

2773-544: The nearby Cajon Summit , 34°20′58″N 117°26′47″W  /  34.34944°N 117.44639°W  / 34.34944; -117.44639  ( Cajon Summit ) , The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit. In 1851, a group of Mormon settlers led by Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich traveled through Cajon Pass in covered wagons on their way from Salt Lake City to southern California. A prominent rock formation in

2832-539: The pass as "Cahoon Pass", suggest an alternate explanation for the name, that it is named in honor of Mormon pioneer Andrew Cahoon (pronounced similarly to Cajon), who was an early settler in nearby San Bernardino and assisted in surveying and laying out the city of San Bernardino. Cajon Pass is known for high wind, turbulence and fog. The weather over the pass can vary from foggy days with poor visibility to clear afternoons where aircraft are bounced by gusting Santa Ana winds that top 80 mph (130 km/h). The wind

2891-512: The pass near the HITOP intersection. In Santa Ana conditions, up- and downdrafts can become violent northeast of Ontario Airport, and turbulence can be experienced east to the Banning Pass , well known for turbulence. The mass and wing loading of an aircraft determine its sensitivity to turbulence, so what may seem violent in a Cessna 172 may seem only mild to moderate in a Boeing 747 . In

2950-646: The pass, where the Mormon Road and the railway merge (at 34°19′06″N 117°29′31″W  /  34.3184°N 117.4920°W  / 34.3184; -117.4920 , near Sullivan's Curve), is known as Mormon Rocks. In Spanish, the word cajón refers to a box or drawer. The name of the pass is derived from the Spanish land grant encompassing the area; it was first referred to in English on an 1852 map. Early Latter-day Saint documents, which often referred to

3009-476: The south side of the summit) and is responsible for the unique local geography. Instrumentation installed at Cajon Pass allows scientists to track earthquakes in the region. Santa Ana winds The Santa Ana winds , also sometimes called the devil winds , are strong, extremely dry downslope winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California . They originate from cool, dry high-pressure air masses in

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3068-478: The straighter track away from the pass, but typically ascend at 14 to 22 mph (23 to 35 km/h) and descend at 20 to 30 mph (32 to 48 km/h). With the third track, the BNSF lines have a capacity of 150 trains per day. Amtrak's Desert Wind used the pass until it quit running in 1997. The Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles, through Cajon Pass on the BNSF line. As of 2024,

3127-1007: The sun-shot surface of California life." According to the Pasadena Public Library  [ Wikidata ] book blog, the winds notably appear in Richard Henry Dana 's Two Years Before the Mast , the Philip Marlowe story "Red Wind" by Raymond Chandler , three essays by Joan Didion about Los Angeles, ("Los Angeles Notebook" and "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream", both included in her 1968 book Slouching Towards Bethlehem , and "Fire Season", included in her 1992 book After Henry ), The Husband by Dean Koontz , White Oleander by Janet Fitch , and Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis . In Thomas Pynchon 's 2009 "California novel" Inherent Vice

3186-461: The temperature and barometric pressure increase adiabatically , warming about 5 °F for each 1,000 feet it descends (1 °C for each 100 m). Relative humidity decreases with the increasing temperature. The air has already been dried by orographic lift before reaching the Great Basin, as well as by subsidence from the upper atmosphere, so this additional warming often causes relative humidity to fall below 10 percent. The end result

3245-471: The trail, and it is famous among hikers. Many hikers also spend the night in the one motel at Cajon Junction. Three Southern California Edison 500 kV high voltage power lines cross the summit. These lines head to the Lugo substation northeast of Cajon Pass and connect to Path 26 and Path 46 . Both Path 26 and 46 provide the Los Angeles metro area with electricity generated from fossil fuel power plants in

3304-475: The whole state and creating extreme fire hazards, a fast, wind-whipped wildfire swept over Interstate 15 between California State Route 138 and the Oak Hill Road exits, sending drivers running for safety and setting 20 vehicles ablaze, officials said. The vegetation fire, which closed the I-15 southbound lanes and restricted the northbound side to one lane, overtook stalled cars. The following year

3363-419: The winds make an appearance and, per one scholar, "the obligatory noir description of their effects appears on page 98." Los Angeles Times columnist David L. Ulin commented, "...for writers such as Didion and Chandler, the Santa Ana is an emblem of disruption because, for them, Los Angeles is a disrupted world. We can take issue with that impression of the city; I sometimes do and sometimes don't. But when

3422-1043: Was a 14-day wind in November 1957. Damage from high winds is most common along the Santa Ana River basin in Orange County, the Santa Clara River basin in Ventura and Los Angeles County , through Newhall Pass into the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, and through the Cajon Pass into San Bernardino County near San Bernardino , Fontana , and Chino . The Santa Anas are katabatic winds (Greek for "flowing downhill") arising in higher altitudes and blowing down towards sea level. The National Weather Service defines Santa Ana winds as "a weather condition [in southern California] in which strong, hot, dust-bearing winds descend to

3481-566: Was named the deadliest road in California. The historic Summit Inn , off the Oak Hills exit at the summit of the pass, was a historic Route 66 diner and was in the same location from 1952 to 2016, when it was destroyed by the Blue Cut fire. Some maps may show the Cajon Pass as a feature on SR 138, which crosses I-15 south of the summit between West Cajon Valley and Summit Valley. The highest point on I-15 between Los Angeles and Victorville

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