Extreme fire weather returns to Southern California - particularly Los Angeles and Ventura counties - as winds of up to 100 mph have prompted the most urgent warning from the National Weather Service.

Could the windstorm that stoked the Los Angeles fires happen in Northern California? The answer is yes, and it also resulted in a historic fire disaster. Here's an explanation of the phenomenon.

The National Weather Service issued its most serious red flag warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties this week as the fires still burn

The National Weather Service has issued another rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning in anticipation of Monday's Santa Ana wind event.

San Diego wildfires resulted in residents evacuating the area. Two fires occurred early Tuesday morning. Intense winds are causing dangerous fire conditions in communities. Wildfires in San Diego have led to mandatory evacuations in the area on Tuesday.

According to AccuWeather, a storm sliding south along the California coast from Friday to Sunday could bring some much-needed rainfall.

What causes the Santa Ana winds? The Santa Ana winds are ... the difference in the pressure, the faster the winds blow. Topography also plays a role. As the winds rush downslope from the top of the San Gabriel Mountains, they become drier and hotter.

Dangerous Santa Ana winds are expected to return to the ... the only places I would go would be D.C., Sacramento, San Francisco and New York, in relation to L.A," the Times reported.

Continued strong winds and dry conditions on Wednesday morning rapidly spread a fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County and has burned through 8,096 acres.

The blazes have grown to more than 37,000 acres, killing at least 25 people and destroying thousands of structures.

Rain expected in L.A. this weekend has raised concerns about mud flows, but the National Weather Service says the rains will not be significant enough to create dramatic flows capable of extinguishing the fires. Dr. Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist, added that coming rain could be meaningless.