It’s going to be a windy week in Southern California. This is Santa Ana’s strongest point

Two rounds of Santa Ana winds are expected to hit Southern California this week, with downed trees and localized power outages possible in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said high winds will reach northwest Los Angeles County and southern Ventura County on Monday, with forecasters predicting wind speeds between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Winds were expected to largely subside by evening, he said.

Another Santa Ana event is expected to hit those areas Wednesday into Thursday, he said.

Unlike onshore winds, which bring moisture as they blow from the ocean toward land, Santa Ana winds originate inland, gaining speed, warming and drying as they move from higher to lower elevations and squeeze through narrow canyons and mountain passes. Also known as “devil’s winds,” they have historically caused some of the worst fires in the region’s history, including January’s deadly fire storm.

But in the short term, this risk is somewhat mitigated in the region due to recent record-breaking rainfall.

Munroe said St. Anas is expected to have cooler weather this week, with highs in the 60s and 70s. He said that after each strong wind, nighttime temperatures are expected to drop, with temperatures generally in the 40s in most areas and in the 20s to 30s in some areas.

The strongest winds are expected in the western San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains and the Los Angeles interior mountains near southwest Acton into Ventura County. Forecasters thought it was a typical Santa Ana wind gallery.

While forecasters are not concerned about the fire risk, people on elevated roads or driving high-profile vehicles should be cautious.

The weather is expected to warm up from Friday into the weekend, with temperatures at least 3 to 6 degrees above normal, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.