Moist Air’s Hug Leaves Southland in Big Sweat

It was hot and muggy in Southern California Monday.

High temperature at Los Angeles Civic Center was 94 degrees (six degrees short of the June 30 record of 100 degrees, set just last year) but most people thought it was hotter than that because of the load of moisture in the air: relative humidity ranged from 66% overnight to 35% by mid-afternoon.

Palm Springs was the hottest spot in the nation Monday, with 110 degrees at 2 p.m.

The National Weather Service blamed it all on a weakening of the ridge of low pressure that has been hovering over the desert for the past week or so.

This gradual equalization of air pressure offshore and onshore, meteorologists explained, means there hasn’t been much of a sea breeze--which in turn has thinned the low clouds that usually cover the sky during the morning hours, causing skies to clear earlier.

An earlier burn-off means the sun has more time to heat up the air through the day--but it doesn’t mean the air will be much drier. There is still enough moisture coming ashore to work up a bit of sweat with even the mildest exertion.

And forecasters said it is going to stay this way for a while. The weather service predicted a high of 94 degrees again today, with more of the same expected Wednesday.