All the ingredients are coming together for a severe Santa Ana wind event to unfold across Southern California tonight into Thursday with other Southwest communities also facing potentially damaging winds.

“A once a decade type wind storm,” is how AccuWeather.com Western Expert Meteorologist Ken Clark is describing the impending Santa Ana winds.

The populated Santa Ana wind-prone areas will endure gusts to 70 mph, while gusts on the neighboring mountaintops could reach 90 mph.

The strongest winds will howl late tonight into Thursday morning.

“Winds of this magnitude will cause damage [to trees and structures] and widespread travel and power disruptions,” warned Clark.

“High-profile vehicles will be forced to not travel and even traveling in cars in the windy areas will be dangerous.”

The fact that powerful crosswinds can easily overturn semi-trucks and campers and severely tug on smaller vehicles prompted the latter statement.

Bodily harm may not only result from falling trees and branches, but also as loose lawn items and Christmas decorations get tossed around and turn into what Clark describes as “airborne missiles.”

Despite declaring that this will be a “cool Santa Ana event,” AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski cautions that the wildfire danger should not be taken lightly.

“Dry air often accompanies Santa Ana events and makes the fuel, such as dry brush, more ready to burn. Any fires that get started and are not extinguished quickly could be whipped into a frenzy by the strong winds.”

It is not just Southern California bracing for potentially damaging winds. San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and other locations from Utah to California and far western Arizona will also be threatened.

The fierce winds will develop from north to south across the Southwest today into tonight, then will continue to howl into Thursday.

In addition to damage concerns, the winds could lead to flight delays. Motorists traveling through the deserts could also be faced with blowing dust dramatically reducing visibility.

There are two advantages to this wind event–dense fog will finally clear the San Joaquin Valley today and the same storm kicking up the wind will bring welcome snow to the ski resorts of the Four Corners region tonight into Friday.

Friday is also when the wind event throughout the Southwest will ease, but yet another (though likely not as strong) may follow this weekend.