Heat wave smothering Southern California nears its peak
Southern California braces for the year's worst heat spike yet, with temperatures 8 to 12 degrees above normal and nights offering no relief.
A smothering heat wave is closing in on its peak across Southern California, delivering what forecasters warn will rank among the hottest stretches of the year so far.
Temperatures are forecast to run 8 to 12 degrees above normal on Thursday, the day the heat crests, while muggy air prevents the overnight cooling residents usually rely on to recover.
This isn't just uncomfortable; it's the kind of prolonged atmospheric grip that tests infrastructure, strains power grids, and exposes how little margin exists in a region already shaped by extreme weather.
Forecasters said the combination of elevated daytime readings and sticky nights will define this event, turning what might have been a brief warm spell into a multi-day slog with limited escape even after sunset.
The pattern underscores a recurring reality in California: seasonal heat doesn't arrive in gentle increments but in sharp, punishing bursts that demand attention long before the thermometer hits its highest mark.
What remains is whether Thursday's peak will indeed stand as the year's benchmark or simply preview hotter weeks still ahead.
Original reporting: LA Times.
Original reporting: LA Times, California.
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