How all this wind got started

The air over the Pacific Northwest has been at the highest barometric pressure in a long time, as an interesting weather blog up there details in maps, charts and text. "We are experiencing some of the highest atmospheric pressures in years and probably decades," says Cliff Mass. "This push of high pressure over the Northwest is creating huge pressure gradients over the southwest U.S." And that, folks, is what we call an extreme Santa Ana condition. The National Weather Service is forecasting a slight shift in direction tonight, from northerly winds to northeasterly, which might change how the gusts come barreling through the canyons and perhaps provide some relief in the cities just below the San Gabriels that were hit so hard last night.