Surprise Gusts Blow Away Humidity, but Only Temporarily

Orange County residents Thursday received a temporary respite from heat and stuffy humidity which coated the area when thunderstorms south of the county unexpectedly sent breezes and clouds this way.

The forceful afternoon showers in San Diego County brought strong gusts of wind and sprinkles to parts of Orange County. But as quickly as they came, the showers dissipated, and meteorologists predicted that the hot and muggy weather of days past will return with a vengeance.

Thursday started out predictably enough. Morning temperatures inland were in the low 70s. By noon, as the mercury crept past the 90-degree mark in cities such as Fullerton and Santa Ana, the relative humidity also soared past the normal range. The sweltering temperatures coupled with high moisture resulted in uncomfortable mugginess.

“It feels a little hotter than normal to say the least,” said Steve Burback, meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which tracks forecasts for The Times.

Jane Knight, 28, of Huntington Beach basked in the sunshine as she watched her Siberian husky lapping at water from the fountain on Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

“I love it, the hotter the better,” Knight said.

Robbie Medina, 38, visiting from Salt Lake City, didn’t mind the weather one bit as she sat outside a cafe, sipping a cold soda.

Back home, she said, “we have temperatures of about 102. This is great. I wish I didn’t have to go back.”

The high humidity is expected to hang around. The normal level is between 30% and 35%, Burback said. August’s relative humidity has lingered above the 45% mark, he said.

Blame that on the aftermath of the tropical storms swirling off the coast of Mexico the past couple of months. The moisture is being “pumped” into the Southland by a strong high-pressure system, weather officials said.

“It’s stationary,” Burback said. “I don’t see the pressure system going anywhere. As a matter of fact, I don’t see any change in the humidity until a cold front moves into the area and . . . right now, the closest front is in western Canada.”

Thursday, the high temperatures in Santa Ana and Fullerton were 92 and 94 degrees, respectively. El Toro logged a 94-degree high, and the San Juan Capistrano high was 92 degrees. Highs around the coast were in the mid-70s.

Also Thursday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a health advisory for the county. But the warning was lifted an hour later when the cool front moved into the county. Temperatures in the area also dropped several degrees.

“But since the showers are ending, expect the hot and humid weather to return,” Burback warned. “I think the peak has been reached as far as the high temperatures, but it’ll will be slow getting cooler.”

That may take as long as a month, Burback said.

Meanwhile, Burback said morning temperatures for today and the weekend will be in the high 60s in the coast and the low 70s inland. Temperatures during the day will climb as high as the upper 90s inland. Beach-city residents should expect their daytime temperatures to be in the mid-70s.

Times staff writer Maresa Archer contributed to this story.