Record heat gives way to humidity, rain

A low-pressure system means possible thunderstorms and lightning ahead.

Blame Blanca. The former hurricane that weakened to a posttropical cyclone as it moved up the Baja California Peninsula has sent its fingers across the Southwestern United States, including the moisture that arrived Tuesday in the Southland.

Bands of storm cells dumped sporadic rainfall ranging from .01 inches in Lancaster to nearly 1 inch in Santa Barbara, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall.

Chatsworth saw a sprinkling in the midmorning, while Glendale didn’t see rain until about 4 p.m.

Weather officials urged additional caution by residents in recent burn areas — such as Glendora and Camarillo — where fires have scorched vegetation and increased the likelihood of mudslides.

Overnight, showers were expected to soak parts of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

The precipitation came one day after record-breaking heat baked the state, with Long Beach seeing a high of 88 and Burbank 102. The Central Valley was even hotter, and farther north, Sacramento hit 105 and Redding 107, according to the weather service.

Lingering warm temperatures combined with the inf lux of moisture to raise the humidity, making for a sticky, overcast day.

“It feels like I’m in the tropics! It’s hot and muggy,” author Sandra Boissier said on Twitter.

The possibility of thunderstorms and lightning strikes only added to the region’s equatorial feel, which will likely continue through the week as the lowpressure system combines with moisture already here.

The weather service predicted that the wet weather would depart by Wednesday, but thunderstorms could still be possible, especially inland in the mountains and desert.

In the Central Valley, forecasters expect thunderstorms with heavy rains and gusty winds.

But the heat, at least, will abate.

“We should see cooler temperatures, but it may be slightly humid because we have this moisture,” Hall said.

Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday was forecast to see a high of 78, with the high dropping to 75 by Friday. Van Nuys was expected to see a high of 87 Wednesday with the temperature dropping to 84 by Friday.

Cloud cover is forecast to gradually decrease by the weekend, when the region’s cooling will likely reverse.