Pasadena’s fall and winter Santa Ana events can turn a calm backyard into a wind tunnel. Warm, arid air accelerates out of the Great Basin, squeezes through canyons, and descends toward the LA Basin, drying further as it compresses on the way down.
The result is hot, gusty, low-humidity winds that raise fire danger and can pry at roofing, racking, and anything not firmly anchored.
The National Weather Service Los Angeles office issues Wind Advisories, High Wind Warnings, and Red Flag Warnings when these hazards line up.
Understanding the Santa Ana Winds: What They Are and Why They Matter
Santa Anas form when high pressure over the Great Basin pushes air toward Southern California. As that air descends the mountains, it warms and dries through compression, often producing the lowest relative humidities of the year along the coast and foothills. That combination of strong offshore wind + single-digit moisture is exactly what elevates fire risk and drives damage to loose building elements.
For Pasadena homeowners, the main impacts are threefold:
- Wind loading on roofs and roof attachments. Gusts can lift shingles and tiles, loosen flashing, and peel at the roof edge, where uplift is most substantial. IBHS research and field guidance consider the roof perimeter to be the most vulnerable line of defense.
- Aerodynamic forces on rooftop solar PV. Arrays act like rigid sails. Racking that is not listed, installed, and maintained to spec can shift or vibrate under gusts.
- Debris hazards from yards and outbuildings. Unsecured patio covers, sheds, umbrellas, and furniture can become projectiles. FEMA and the Red Cross advise securing or stowing outdoor items before high winds arrive.
Pro tip for planning: Pasadena falls under the responsibility of NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard (LOX) for local watches and warnings. Alert LA County and the City’s PLEAS system to distribute time-sensitive alerts.
Essential Preparations to Secure Your Roof Against High Winds
Your goal is to keep uplift forces from finding a weak path. Focus on edges, anchors, and water entry points.
1) Schedule a pre-season roof inspection with edge focus.
Ask your roofer to document the condition at eaves, rakes, and around penetrations. Look for lifted shingle tabs, missing fasteners, cracked ridge caps, loose mortar on tiles, and gaps at flashing. IBHS emphasizes roof perimeter detailing because failures commonly start at the edges.
2) Tighten the roof system with best-practice fastening and sealing.
Where permitted, upgrading to a sealed roof deck (taped sheathing seams or sealed underlayment) reduces water intrusion if wind strips are used as coverings. On asphalt shingles, confirm the starter strip at the eaves and rakes/rakes and verify adequate nail counts per shingle. On tile, verify that mechanically fastened or foam-set tiles are installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications. These steps align with the IBHS Fortified Roof recommendations for high winds.
3) Check and refasten sheet-metal components.
Have your contractor verify the tightness of fasteners and the continuous sealant at the drip edge, step, and counter-flashing, as well as the valley metal. Replace brittle mastic. Edge metal acts like an aerodynamic fairing; if it lifts, wind can peel back the covering rapidly.
4) Clear overhanging limbs and deadwood near the roof.
Trim trees away from the structure and utility service drops so gusts cannot lever branches onto your roof. Pasadena Public Works and Pasadena Water and Power offer tree-care and utility guidance to help you stay safe around lines and during storms.
5) Confirm permits if you plan roof work.
Before re-roofing, check the City of Pasadena Permit Center to determine what is required for your scope and any applicable neighborhood overlays. Hillside areas and historic districts may have additional rules, and a permit is typically required for roof replacement.
Engineering note: If you are considering structural tie improvements, consult a licensed contractor about roof-to-wall connections and uplift hardware. Site wind parameters are available via the ASCE Hazard Tool, which your designer can use to confirm loads.
Protecting Solar Panels from Santa Ana Winds: Best Practices
Rooftop PV must withstand the same gusts that your roof experiences. Modern systems achieve that with code-based design loads and product listings.
1) Verify your racking is listed and matched correctly.
Ask your installer for documentation that the mounting system is listed to UL 2703 and installed with the specific PV module combinations and clamps required for fire classification, bonding/grounding, and mechanical load ratings. UL and industry guidance stress that UL 2703 listings are module-specific and define critical installation criteria.
2) Confirm attachments and spacing against design wind loads.
Design wind speeds for your site are based on ASCE 7; your engineer or installer should size rail spans, standoff spacing, and clamp locations accordingly. The ASCE Hazard Tool provides location-specific, 3-second gust speeds for design purposes.
3) Maintain torques, seals, and wire management.
Before the Santa Ana season, have a qualified technician check the torque on rail splice hardware and module clamps, inspect flashed roof penetrations, and tidy wire runs so that nothing whips against the roof under gusts. California’s Solar Permitting resources and local authorities emphasize standardized, code-compliant mounting and inspection practices.
4) Know your safe shutdown and monitoring steps.
If winds knock out power, Pasadena Water and Power maintains an outage map and updates. Learn how your system behaves during outages and how to shut down safely according to your inverter manual. Check PWP’s outage resources and keep emergency numbers handy.
Considering storage? California is publishing guidance to streamline the permitting process for safe residential energy storage, which can improve resiliency during wind-driven outages.
Backyard Structures and Outdoor Furniture: Safeguard Before the First Gust
Treat everything outdoors as a potential projectile. FEMA and the Red Cross recommend securing or stowing loose items and anchoring light structures before wind events.
1) Patio covers, pergolas, and shade sails.
Have a contractor inspect post bases, beam connections, and ledger attachments to the house. Add or tighten mechanical anchors where corrosion or movement is evident. Remove shade sails and umbrellas ahead of a wind event; their large sail area concentrates uplift at posts and fittings. If you plan a new patio cover, verify permitting through Pasadena’s Permit Center.
2) Sheds and play structures.
Anchor small outbuildings to concrete or earth anchors per manufacturer specs. IBHS guidance for high winds emphasizes the importance of positive anchorage and continuous load paths, even for small accessory structures.
3) Fences and gates.
Check that posts are sound and embedded correctly and that gate hinges and latches are tight. Replace rusted screws. Where fences act like sails, partial openness can reduce wind pressure.
4) Furniture, grills, and décor.
Before a Santa Ana event, bring lightweight items indoors or secure them with straps to fixed anchors. Move propane grills away from structures, shut the tank valve, and cap gas lines. Ready.gov and Red Cross severe weather pages include checklists for securing outdoor items.
5) Landscaping and defensible space.
Wind and low humidity often accompany Red Flag conditions. Keep dry leaves, mulch piles, and combustible décor away from structures and clear gutters so wind-driven embers or debris have fewer places to lodge. The NWS and local fire agencies stress the importance of extra caution when Red Flag Warnings are issued.
The Role of Local Weather Alerts in Your Wind Preparation Strategy
Know when to act by subscribing to official alerts and checking authoritative forecast products.
1) Sign up for Pasadena and County alerts.
Enroll in the Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System (PLEAS) for Pasadena-specific evacuation or hazard notices, and Alert LA County for countywide emergencies. These systems deliver time-sensitive texts, calls, or emails during fast-moving events.
2) Track watches and warnings from NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard.
Bookmark the NWS LOX page and pay attention to Red Flag Warnings and High Wind Warnings for the San Gabriel Valley and foothills. The Area Forecast Discussion explains timing, strength, and the meteorology behind each event.
3) Respect Red Flag parking restrictions.
When fire danger spikes, Pasadena may activate Red Flag Parking Restrictions on designated streets to keep access open for responders. Check the City’s page and PLEAS notifications.
4) Prepare for outages.
Monitor PWP’s outage map and updates if lines go down. Keep flashlights, a battery-powered radio, and device chargers ready, and treat downed lines as if they are energized.
5) Use design tools when you renovate.
If you are upgrading a roof or adding a pergola or battery, ask your designer to retrieve site wind speeds from the ASCE Hazard Tool so that connections and anchorage reflect local loads, rather than generic assumptions.
Pasadena-Focused, Actionable Checklist
- Roof
• Inspect edges, fasteners, flashing; repair lifted shingles or cracked tiles.
• Add a sealed roof deck and correct the starter and drip edge when re-roofing. - Solar
• Confirm racking is UL 2703 listed and matched to your exact module model.
• Re-torque clamps and splices; check flashed penetrations; tidy wiring.
• Keep PWP outage info handy; know your inverter shutdown procedure. - Yard
• Stow umbrellas, cushions, toys, and décor; strap heavier items to anchors.
• Inspect pergola and shed anchors; repair corrosion; remove shade sails pre-event. - Alerts: Enroll in PLEAS and Alert LA County; monitor NWS LOX for Red Flag and wind headlines; heed Red Flag Parking Restrictions.
- Permits: Check the Permit Center before roof replacements or structural yard additions. Use ASCE Hazard Tool wind data when you design.
Stay Ahead of the Gusts
Santa Ana winds are predictable enough to prepare ahead, but powerful enough to demand respect. If you tighten your roof edges, verify solar racking and attachments, anchor or stow backyard items, and subscribe to Pasadena’s alerts, you will significantly reduce damage risk and be ready to act when warnings are issued.
When planning upgrades, design for the correct wind loads and obtain the necessary permits to ensure work is safe and compliant.
If you want a Pasadena-specific walkthrough of your home, FTR Renovation & Build can translate this checklist into a prioritized, code-aware scope before the next Santa Ana event arrives.