Ding, ding, ding! The typical morning for many Rancho Cucamonga High School students goes as follows: waking up to their alarm clock and getting ready for school, but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday, Jan. 8. For what was essentially the first time in decades, the Chaffey Joint Union High School District canceled school early Tuesday morning for the four northern schools.
As the seasonal Santa Ana winds started rolling in, according to the National Weather Service, 83 mph gusts were recorded overnight between Monday, Jan. 7 and Tuesday, Jan. 8 in Rancho Cucamonga, according to the National Weather Service San Diego.
Causing a multitude of problems overnight, from fallen trees, loss of power for parts of the city, to lack of sleep for many, the winds were stronger than usual. With these problems, RCHS sent out a message to students and parents shortly after 7 a.m. to cancel school for the day. Part of the message read, “Due to severe wind damage and potentially dangerous fire conditions, we have been advised to close school today.”
“It was a great feeling and also weird, as until I finally woke up and realized school was canceled for the day. That’s when it all felt real,” sophomore Kevin Abdelmesih said. “ [I] got almost no sleep the day before, so I definitely did not feel like going to school.”
SoCal is no stranger to the Santa Ana winds. Made up of extremely dry gusts paired with high speeds, the Santa Ana winds are highly destructive and an infamous cause of fanning wildfires.
These winds occur when systems of high pressure, colliding temperatures from the Great Basin (a section of mountains including the Sierra Nevada), and the Pacific, compress together. As a result, air descends over SoCal’s mountains and becomes the hotter, drier, and much faster.
These winds, often leaving a large mark on southland communities, go to show the serious risks posed by these conditions. Allergies, poor air quality, and the potential for an ember from miles away to ignite a fire provides insight into how precautionary measures are necessary; ensuring that the situation is correctly maintained and under control.
With this sudden school closure on Tuesday, comes the reminder of how unpredictable and powerful nature can be, highlighting the steps that need to be taken keep all students and staff safe.
