The ferocious Santa Ana winds that helped fuel the deadly wildfires around Los Angeles are forecast to ease later Wednesday, but they may return.

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

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

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.

The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada

Katabatic winds? Adiabatic compression? Time for a thermodynamics lesson! The record lack of rain has also made this Santa Ana event different.

While winds will be weaker on Thursday, another Santa Ana wind event is forecasted for Friday, with wind advisories likely in the Santa Clarita Valley to Point Mugu area from early morning to early afternoon, according to the NWS Los Angeles.

The winds will come and go, with the strongest gusts expected early next week, especially next Monday night and into Tuesday, forecasters said.

Things will remain relatively calm for the weekend, but "a difficult to resolve weather pattern" begins early to mid-next week, the NWS said.

Another moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event is expected to develop across Southern California during the first half of the workweek, heightening wildfire dangers in a region still coping with the last significant firestorm from nearly two weeks ago.

Santa Ana winds return to Southern California from Monday to Tuesday, once again raising fire danger concerns.