Southern California is facing fierce fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds, which threaten homes and put firefighters to the test.

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

Southern California will continue to face "dangerous fire weather conditions" including strong Santa Ana winds and extremely low humidity through later this week, forecasters said Tuesday.

The Santa Anas are expected to be most powerful Monday night into Tuesday. Fire services across the region say they are ready.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.T​housands have been ordered to evacuate in Southern California as the Hughes Fire continues to burn and another fire broke out late Wednesday in Bel Air.