A 1046 millibar high is extremely strong and usually reserved for the Arctic Circle or Northern Canada. Such a strong high is creating a very large pressure gradient over the western half of the country. Strong pressure differences causes air to flow faster from the lower pressure to the higher pressure which in turn creates wind and in this case STRONG wind. This graphic highlights the pressure differences and corresponding wind strength.
Luckily, the southern California and the southwest have been abnormally wet over the past few weeks or else we would be talking about a lot of brush fires and lots of damage.
