Mother Nature is just wreaking havoc on Southern California. Crazy hot Santa Ana winds have been blowing over the past week and wild fires have been spreading like... well, wild fire throughout all of SoCal.
16 different major fires in multiple counties have already topped $1 billion in damages so far. Our office here is a few miles away from the Santiago/ Irvine fire and the air is horrible. My parents also live close by, so everything is pretty crazy around here. Its almost a surreal atmosphere walking outside. I know many people that have had to leave their homes behind, hoping they will be spared. Mother Nature is letting her wrath loose right now. It feels like a scene straight from "The Day After Tomorrow."
I'm lucky I live near the beach, not the hills. The weather is just doing crazy things everywhere though, especially the ocean. Driving along the coast where I live is incredible. Check out the massive swell when combined with the extreme, off-shore Santa Ana winds. The waves are just amazing. These epic conditions are like something from Pipeline, Hawaii but the scene is so eerie. There is a very doomsday, apocalyptic feel present with the extreme weather conditions, red sky, raining ash, and huge waves. I just hope everyone affected by these fires directly stays safe, and comes away from this alright. I've already had to re-write this a few times because our power keeps going out in the office. The A/C is out and the smoke is really getting to me. I hope everyone out there stays safe.