Los Angeles Fires and Winter Drought Likely Linked to Ocean Heat

Winter used to be the one time of year Southern California didn’t have to worry about wildfires. Instead, the region has started to burn.

January is the heart of California’s rainy season, when cool storms from the Gulf of Alaska paint hillsides green with new grass. But this year, a stubborn high-pressure ridge has created a virtual force field near Los Angeles that has blocked moisture for months.

Now, an outbreak of strong offshore winds has triggered an out-of-control wildfire in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood near Malibu, affecting almost 3,000 acres and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Gusts of wind are forecast to ...