A rare windstorm, unlike any in the past decade, whipped brush fires into unprecedented catastrophes, creating perhaps the two most destructive fires in Los Angeles County’s history, but neither of the ongoing blazes would have likely reached the same scale of destruction if it wasn’t for Southern California’s shifting climate,

After a lull of the strong gusts, forecasters say winds are expected to pick back up Thursday night, increasing the wildfire risk.

The intense Santa Ana winds and a trio of large wildfires caused power outages for more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles County Tuesday night. Ahead of the strong storm, officials predicted this weather will "likely be the most destructive windstorm seen since 2011.

There are at least three dangerous and rapidly spreading wildfires in Los Angeles County each having started on Tuesday, Jan 7.