Tens of millions of Americans have been put under weather warnings as deadly winds head for the West Coast and an Arctic blast freezes the East. Officials have warned residents in Southern California to brace for Santa Ana winds of up to 100mph that could increase the risk of wildfires and power outages.
![[The winds to die down on Thursday as the storm driving them moves away from Southern California and evolves into a cross-country winter storm later in the week]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/17/93827007-14259117-The_winds_to_die_down_on_Thursday_as_the_storm_driving_them_move-a-25_1736269326995.jpg)
Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura and San Bernardino counties can expect 50 to 70mph gusts, with wind gusts up to 100mph possible. 'This will be a dangerous and potentially destructive windstorm from the Santa Monica mountains to Hollywood, Burbank, Beverly Hills and Malibu,' AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said.
![[The eastern half of the US has also been told to brace for bitterly cold temperatures that will linger over the course of next week, as waves of Arctic air surge as far south as the Gulf Coast]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/15/93828301-14259117-image-a-3_1736262498578.jpg)
AccuWeather meteorologists expect the winds to die down on Thursday as the storm driving them moves away from Southern California and evolves into a cross-country winter storm later in the week. 'As the storm emerges in the South Central states late in the week, it will merge with the cold air in the Plains, producing wintery weather across the region,' AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. The storm's path may extend as far east as Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City this weekend, delivering snow and disrupting travel.
![[The Santa Ana winds, also known as the 'devil winds,' are extremely dry, high-speed winds that periodically blow from the inland mountains to the coast in Southern California]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/15/93827009-14259117-image-a-5_1736262595066.jpg)
Meanwhile, the eastern half of the US has also been told to brace for bitterly cold temperatures that will linger over the course of next week, as waves of Arctic air surge as far south as the Gulf Coast. Temperatures could plunge up to 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average from the northern Plains and Midwest to the interior Southeast through the first two weeks of January, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Duffus said.
![[This week, an area of high pressure in the Great Basin has combined with a developing storm in northwestern Mexico to create Tuesday's windstorm]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/15/93827003-14259117-image-a-4_1736262577608.jpg)
