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Climate & Environment

Record humidity to create sweltering conditions in SoCal

Four tall palm trees stand on an empty sandy beach under a gray, overcast sky, with mountains visible in the distance.
Clouds form over Venice Beach in August. Tropical moisture from Hurricane Marie is currently causing extreme humidity in Southern California this week.
(
Apu Gomes
/
Getty Images North America
)

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Record humidity to create sweltering conditions in SoCal
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for much of Southern California from Wednesday morning through Thursday. Lucas Brady Woods reports.

Topline:

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for much of Southern California from Wednesday morning through Thursday.

The details: This week’s combination of heat and humidity could be worse than it has been all summer. Forecasters say temperatures will peak on Wednesday. Highs could get up to the triple digits. Overnight lows will also stay elevated. They may only get down to the 70s in places, offering little relief from the heat.

The humidity: Climate experts say the humidity this week could be some of the highest on record in Southern California, even after a summer marked by repeated humid heatwaves. The moisture in the air, combined with the extreme heat, makes it increasingly difficult for the human body to cool down, especially when outdoors. It’s also driving scattered rain and thunderstorms that will continue for the next few days.

The backstory: The tropical moisture is due in large part to the leftovers of Hurricane Marie hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean. On top of that, record high ocean temperatures off the Southern California coast are adding to the humidity.

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