Fire: Evacuations in Anaheim, CA

NBC11 says that a fire (probably started by an automobile blaze) is quickly spreading this afternoon in Anaheim, California [Google Map]. It is nearing about 200 houses which have been evacuated. Fox News reports on-air that another fire has started in Corona, CA [Google Map], to the east of Anaheim. Serrano Avenue in Anaheim was one of the places mentioned on-air. You can get a close-up look at that road and the nearby houses and hills on Google Maps.

Are these Santa Ana winds? YES.The UCLA "flag" indicates that "Meteorological parameters indicate Santa Ana conditions are occurring."

Weather conditions in Anaheim have worsened significantly today. Humidity has plummeted while temperatures have risen above 90; calm winds this morning gave way to winds of 10 to 20 mph this afternoon and are expected to stay the same or increase tonight.

Fox News is showing live footage on-air. They say that...

- 600 acres have been burned
- 2006-2007's Rainy Season was driest ever in both L.A. and Southern California
- Only two inches of rain fell in L.A. since last June
- Santa Ana winds are not supposed to occur this time of year

Watch out for some of the hype here. Some of this information is incorrect, for example the last bullet point is negated by reading the UCSD Santa Ana site which says "Santa Anas typically occur from October into March." As to the "two inches" claim, this is close to reality, if you round downwards. Ken Clark (PREMIUM | PRO) said on Thursday: "To this point in the rainfall season (July 1 to date) only 2.42 inches of rain has fallen in Downtown Los Angeles. This makes the 2006-2007 rainfall season the driest season to date with records going back to 1877." Below is a map indicating that during the last 6 months less than 2 inches has fallen near Anaheim, according to The NWS [JessePedia] who also provided the statistics that Ken quoted.

AccuWeather's Drought Status map indicates that southern California is in a Moderate Drought area.