The Hughes Fire near Castaic, California, has burned over 5,000 acres, prompting evacuations and school closures.

"A strong Santa Ana Wind event is expected to develop Monday and last through at least Tuesday," the National Weather Service said.

After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana Winds Monday.

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Santa Ana winds finally delivered a big, direct hit on San Diego County Tuesday, gusting as high as 102 mph in the backcountry where a touch of long-overdue rain could arrive this weekend.

After a much quieter weekend, Southern California is experiencing a major shift in the weather pattern. The winds will peak Monday evening and overnight but extend into Tuesday morning.

Much of inland San Diego County was whipped yet again by a strong Santa Ana wind event Monday into Tuesday, contributing to risky fire conditions as the region remains bone-dry.

A wind-driven wildfire charred dozens of acres in the sparsely developed northeastern reaches of San Diego County, damaging structures and forcing pre-dawn evacuations before crews could gain the upper hand on the flames Wednesday.

Warm and dry conditions will persist through Thursday as another Santa Ana pattern develops, bringing gusty northeast winds to Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Asignificant cooling trend will begin Friday and continue through the weekend as a cold storm system moves over the region.

A critical fire threat will continue across County as Santa Ana winds and dry conditions persist through early Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Not only do these winds accelerate the speed and spread of the fires, they also affect how the fires are fought. The strong winds can make it dangerous to fly aircraft used for containing the fires.