Some of the fiercest Santa Anas in recent memory are producing gale-force winds, helping to stoke the dozen or so wildfires now ravaging Southern California, including the Ranch fire in northern Ventura County.

"Santa Anas come in four sizes," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "Small, medium, large and Godzilla. This one is definitely a Godzilla."

Winds reached speeds of 80 to 90 mph in many parts of the county Monday. They were clocked at 111 mph at Laguna Peak above Point Mugu earlier in the day.

"You have to go back to the 1970s or 1980s to get a Santa Ana of comparable strength," said Terry Schaefer, a retired meteorologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who lives in Ventura.

The gale-force winds are being fed by a cool high-pressure system above Utah's Great Basin and warmer low-pressure air along the coast.

The difference between these two pressure zones is forcing the air to take the path of least resistance and to barrel through the canyons that dot much of the Southern California landscape, creating powerful hot winds.

The wind blew down power lines and trees and caused numerous accidents across Ventura County during the 24-hour period ending Monday afternoon.

Fire turns skies orange

High-wind warnings will remain in effect for Ventura and Los Angeles counties until at least 3 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

The winds carried a thick blanket of acrid smoke across much of Ventura County on Sunday and Monday, creating an eerie orange glow throughout the day.

The Santa Ana and fires come after one of the driest years on record. Add dry brush that's been allowed to build up over the years and the result is tinderbox conditions.

"It's created a superfire environment," Patzert said.

While it's impossible to predict Santa Ana winds, Patzert said the current conditions do not bode well for the future.

"We have a lot of unburnt fuel on the ground and winter that is expected not to produce that much rain," he said.

This particular Santa Ana may grow stronger today, said Stuart Seto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The winds were expected to be stronger late Monday and early today. They were forecast to diminish by midafternoon today, Seto said. A red flag warning remained in effect until at least this afternoon.

Temperatures, meanwhile, will reach the upper 80s and mid-90s along the coast today, he said. Seto said a high of 73 degrees is normal for this time of year in Oxnard.

All of the smoke and ash enveloping Ventura County prompted Robert Levin, Ventura County's public health officer, to issue an air-quality health advisory.

Levin said the smoke "may pose a special risk to adults and children with asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or other respiratory diseases and heart disease."

Those who cannot tolerate the smoke should, at the first sign of discomfort, either relocate to where there is no smoke "or if they feel ill, see a physician immediately," Levin said.

Residents should also stay indoors if possible, he said.

The air-quality health advisory was issued after the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District got numerous readings of air filled with particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns.

"It's the kind of stuff that can easily get lodged deep inside the lungs," said Mallory Ham, an air pollution meteorologist with the county's Air Pollution Control District.

Virtually every area of the county is predicted to have unhealthy air today, according to the Air Pollution District.

Winds hurting business

The winds and smoke made for a slow business day for many stores at the Camarillo Premium Outlets on Monday.

Donning white masks and sunglasses, Jesse Pacheco and his co-workers at Restoration Hardware Furniture Outlet were busy unpacking small furniture in the store's storage area.

"We've been here since 7 a.m. and the wind hasn't stopped all day," Pacheco said around midmorning. "It's been hard to get work done because of all the debris that's flying around. But rain or shine, business has to go on."

It was a similar story at the California Highway Patrol weigh station off Highway 101 at the top of the Conejo Grade.

"Every time we talk to the truckers, we try to ask them how the traffic is out there and tell them to be careful," said Vern Burkhart, a commercial vehicle inspection specialist.

D.E. and Jo Ann Rogers, who manage the pumpkin patch on the corner of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Lombard Street, said the heavy gusts and unhealthy air cost them 13 to 14 percent of their business over the past two days.

"We're losing thousands of dollars in revenue," D.E. Rogers said. "It's frustrating because we only have a short season to make money."

The high winds also sparked numerous power outages.

Southern California Edison alerted its customers Monday to the possibility that some of those affected by the wildfires "could be without electric services for 24 hours or longer."

A news release by the company said Edison crews are responding to areas hardest hit by the high winds and fires as quickly as possible.

— Staff writer Marjorie Hernandez contributed to this report.