The legend of the Santa Ana winds has infused both residents and storytellers in Los Angeles for decades.
Perhaps most memorably, author Joan Didion described the haunting nature of the Santa Ana winds in her essay, "Los Angeles Notebook." She wrote, "Some teachers do not attempt to conduct formal classes during a Santa Ana because the children become unmanageable." And, "Surgeons are said to watch the wind, because blood does not clot normally during a foehn [a dry, down-slope wind]."
The folklore continued with Neil Peart's book "Traveling Music." He described what happens when the wind comes out to play, "Modern-day urban myths associate the Santa Anas with rising crime rates, freeway gun battles, wildfires, actors entering rehab, Hollywood couples divorcing, bands breaking up, irritated sinuses, and bad tempers all around."
Perhaps the storytellers embellish here or there, but, taking a look at Los Angeles today, with 100 mile-per-hour winds, closed schools, fallen trees and a dry-heat that lingers in our lungs, maybe the literati are right?
In both honor and terror of what these howling winds are capable of, we present to you the top 10 references to the Santa Ana winds in pop culture.
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