The humidity in the Los Angeles area may be on “downward trend,” but a brewing tropical storm teetering on becoming a hurricane could leave Los Angelenos feeling sticky and uncomfortable again.
The tropical storm brewing off Mexico’s southern coast may develop into a hurricane that could approach Southern California over Labor Day weekend. There are some computer projections that have it going right for Los Angeles, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell. It’s a scenario that some people have been “amplifying.”
“While that is a possible scenario, at this point it’s the least likely outcome for that tropical storm to go right towards us or right over us,” he told the USA TODAY Network on Monday, Aug. 31.
Tropical storm may bring more humidity
Kittell said the tropical storm could bring more humidity, larger surf and potential coastal flooding issues over the Labor Day weekend. The holiday is on Sept. 7.
While the tropical storm could “very humid, muggy conditions,” it could also produce a scenario that cuts down on the humidity, according to Kittell.
“It could also end up giving us some offshore flow, like almost a Santa Ana… so not only do we have the potential of some tropical rain and moisture, but we also have potential of more of a drier Santa Ana-type situation for the Labor Day weekend,” Kittell said.
The meteorologist said it wouldn’t be a “classic Santa Ana” wind event. The tropical storm, depending on its path, could cause an easterly wind — which is what we get during Santa Anas.
“It’s still originating from a tropical air mass, so it won’t be as dry as we typically think of as October Santa Anas, but it’ll feel different,” he said. “It’ll definitely feel mostly drier than what we’ve had the last few days — last few weeks.”
How humid will it be in LA this week? What to know about the dew point
The humidity is on the “downward trend” at least through Thursday, Sept. 3 and Friday, Sept. 4, according to Kittell. It’s still going to feel “a little bit” muggy, mainly due to our warm ocean water temperatures.
Those water temperatures are in the mid-70s, which is five degrees above normal, Kittell said.
“That’s going to add more moisture to the air and just make it feel a little bit muggier than it usually does, but a far cry from what we had last week,” Kittell said.
Last week, shifting winds brought up a tropical air mass from Mexico, making swaths of Southern California feel extra muggy in addition to the warm water temperatures contributing to the region’s muggy days, according to Kittell.
“Typically, when we get into an El Niño type year, we get these warmer water temperatures that we’re experiencing this summer,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather. “Not quite to the extent that this summer has brought, but the fact that water temperatures are above normal isn’t a big surprise.”
Barring a Santa Ana wind event — dry winds — expect for the weather to continue to feel muggier than normal through at least September, Kittell said.
The dew point in Los Angeles reached the lows 70s in the final week of August, according to National Weather Service data.
The dew point, a measure of moisture in the air, helps people understand how muggy and humid it feels outside, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Kines.
Typically, dew points in the 50s means it feels comfortable. People start feeling uncomfortable when the dew point creeps into the 60s, particularly the mid and upper 60s.
“When you start talking about 70 and higher, most, if not everybody, feels uncomfortable,” Kines said.
“It’s going to be tough for the LA basin” and south toward San Diego to be relieved of these higher dew points so long as our wind flow comes in from off the ocean — which it typically does, Kines said.
USA TODAY Network reporter Daniella Segura contributed to this story.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is LA’s humidity over? Potential hurricane may be a factor
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