The climatic vibe of South Florida is returning to Southern California this week.

While tropical, humid weather is not entirely foreign here, particularly in late summer, the sticky stuff seems to be making frequent stops in L.A. during the hot months this year. 

If you're looking for an explanation, it's above our pay grade. Maybe the El Nino–cooked waters of the equatorial Pacific are having an effect on our weather. Tropical storms and hurricanes have been marching up the Pacific coast of Mexico since before the start of summer. Strange.

We do know that forecasters are predicting hot and quite possibly wet weather this week as two things will happen:

High pressure will move in from Texas toward California, boosting the temperatures considerably from today through the weekend. And a southeast flow will bring tropical moisture up from Mexico, where it damn well belongs.

High temperatures for urban Southern California are expected to reach — gulp — the 90s and lower 100s through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be slightly cooler.

Federal forecasters say that we can expect temps to be four to eight degrees above normal through at least Friday. The normal temperature in downtown Los Angeles (USC) for today is 84.

Add the thick moisture from down south, and it will feel even hotter. It will feel so hot, in fact, that the NWS is warning folks about “excessive heat levels” in SoCal.

“During this time, people at risk of heat-related illness should be extremely cautious, and seek shelter in air conditioning if possible,” the service said in a statement. 

Credit: NWS

Credit: NWS

But wait, there's more:

The NWS says that with the monsoonal moisture could come thunderstorms. And those thunderstorms, most likely to show up Thursday, could bring … flooding!? Yep. The NWS:

The thunderstorms will be most likely to develop over the mountains, interior valleys and deserts east of the mountains. However, some coast and coastal valley locations could see thunderstorms Thursday and Thursday night. The storms that develop Wednesday are likely to be mainly dry with a risk of dry lightning. Any storms that develop by Thursday will be capable of producing heavy downpours, dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning, strong gusty winds, and flash flooding. 

Sounds scary. To be fair, let's air another view on this week's weather. Private forecaster AccuWeather.com suggests the chance of thunderstorms will be smaller, particularly in the L.A. basin.

“A little batch of increased moisture could spark a spotty thunderstorm on Thursday, with the best chance being across the Inland Empire and in the mountains,” says AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards.

However, AccuWeather also posted the NWS' special weather statement warning of thunderstorms, possible flooding and infernal heat.

In any case, try to stay cool — like the other side of the pillow.

Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow L.A. Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.

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