Punishingly hot temperatures coupled with drastically high humidity will peak Wednesday, making temperatures feel even more intense than previously blistering days, with real relief not expected to arrive until Friday. <\/p>\n
Public health officials warn that the unusually high temperatures and humidity raise the risk of heat-related illnesses, particularly among older people and those with medical conditions. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe temperatures we\u2019re going to see today are going to be extreme heat warning temperatures regardless of the humidity,\u201d said Bryan Lewis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service\u2019s Oxnard office. \u201cBut that humidity certainly adds to the discomfort and the \u2018real feel\u2019 heat,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
The sizzling temperatures are brought on by a combination of a strong upper-level ridge of high pressure coming from Arizona and an offshore flow coming from the north and east. <\/p>\n
This one-two punch will bring temperatures about 8 degrees higher than normal to areas south of Point Conception and a whopping 10 to 15 degrees higher to the north. <\/p>\n
As a result, the forecast calls for maximum temperatures of mid- to upper 80s at the beaches, 90s across the rest of the coast and 100 to 108 degrees for the valleys.<\/p>\n
Forecasters say there will be little relief for Southern Californians when the sun goes down as temperatures will remain uncomfortably warm at night. <\/p>\n
Experts say the heat will feel even worse due to higher-than-normal humidity brought by the remnants of former-Tropical Storm Marie and warm temperatures coming from the ocean. <\/p>\n
Lewis said dew point temperatures are projected to be in the 70s for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.<\/p>\n
The higher the dew point rises, the greater the amount of moisture in the air, according to the National Weather Service<\/a>. Generally, a dew point of 55 or less feels comfortable, while 65 or higher can feel oppressive.<\/p>\n The National Weather Service office in Oxnard, which issues forecasts for Los Angeles County, doesn\u2019t keep historic records for dew point or relative humidity, he added. <\/p>\n \u201cBut from my recollection, we generally sit somewhere between the mid-50s to maybe the low 60s,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cEven if it\u2019s a 10- to 15-degree difference in dew point, it\u2019s pretty drastic.\u201d<\/p>\n