I like to think I’m not a wimp about a little summer discomfort. After all, I was born and grew up in St. Louis, one of the hottest and most humid places in the U.S., and then I worked for years in muggy South Florida. |
But the last few months on the West Coast, and particularly in Los Angeles, have felt different. A little ominous, actually. |
So I called my colleague Rong-Gong Lin II — the Times’ resident expert on natural disasters and extreme weather — to ask if my heat-addled brain was just being dramatic. |
“No,” he said without hesitation, “this summer does seem to be a tipping point.” |
The reasons and their scientific backing are all laid out, painfully, in a story published yesterday about the alarming disappearance of California’s “perfect Mediterranean weather.” |
A feeling of betrayal |
This summer has been the most humid in some Southern California locations on record, and the most humid in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego in 46 years, Lin wrote. |
That feels like a betrayal to millions of people — including me — who moved to Southern California for the warm, mild weather. In the nearly two decades I’ve lived here, I don’t remember a day so hot that the evening sunset didn’t bring a crisp, cool breeze that made everything OK. |
The worrisome part is the reason behind this heat. |
It’s driven by the persistently rising temperature of the Pacific Ocean, which has been experiencing what scientists call a “marine heat wave” since at least May of 2025. That’s compounded by the powerful El Nino, a large patch of extraordinarily warm water developing off the coast of South America right now. |
Lin has been writing about weather in Southern California for more than twenty years; he knows the difference between weather — something that lasts for days or weeks — and climate — something you’re stuck with for decades or longer. |
An “oppressive” dew point |
“Something is profoundly wrong” when it feels like the Deep South in Los Angeles, Lin said. On Tuesday, the dew point in Los Angeles reached 76 degrees, which is similar to what you’d find in Orlando or New Orleans this time of year, and what the National Weather Service describes as “oppressive.” |
Whereas previous hot spells have felt like “one-offs,” Lin said, this year feels like we’re experiencing the lasting effects of global warming. |
“It’s the trend, you know, temperatures are just increasing relentlessly,” Lin said. “Every month is the hottest July ever, the hottest August ever.” |
Western Europe, most of which is much farther north than the United States, has been dealing with a similar reckoning this summer. Unprecedented wildfires have plagued France and Spain; hospitals in England are debating the previously unthinkable — installing air conditioners. |
Even in Lin’s Bay Area neighborhood — where “June gloom” gives way to “no-sky July” and “Fogust” — people are reluctantly surrendering to the changing climate and installing air conditioners, he said. |
Top stories |
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An aerial view Tuesday shows homes damaged by flooding along Beach Road in Dana Point. Residences in the Capistrano Beach community have been severely damaged by recent storms. (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times) |
Big waves, flooding bring destruction to SoCal coast |
- Strong surf across Southern California this weekend blasted through a seawall in Long Beach, caused a massive sinkhole at a celebrity’s Malibu home and damaged several Dana Point homes, among other issues.
- Experts say it could be only a taste of what is ahead as the El Niño forecast continues to strengthen.
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Groceries, gas, rent. Why it’s so expensive to live in L.A. |
- From $6 gas to $3,000 rents, Angelenos face some of the steepest living costs in the country, with L.A.-Long Beach now ranked ninth most expensive among 248 urban areas.
- Exacerbating the affordability crisis, according to economists, is L.A.’s relatively lower average wages compared with other expensive urban areas.
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Newsom’s defamation case against Fox News |
- The governor’s $787-million defamation suit against Fox News is set for a March 6, 2028, trial, potentially colliding with a presidential run.
- The case centers on Fox hosts accusing Newsom of lying about a 2025 phone call with President Trump amid immigration raids and protests in downtown Los Angeles.
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The Trump administration denounces California’s key water plan |
- State officials worked for years to come up with a plan to help halt the ecological decline of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
- Now that plan is under attack from the Trump administration and the largest irrigation authority in the Central Valley.
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More news |
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Commentary and opinion |
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Editor’s pick |
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Salomon and Angel Olea spend 12 hours a day emptying commercial trash bins around San Diego County. But while Salomon has been able to buy a house, his son, Angel, struggles to even pay rent. |
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More picks |
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Keep up with California |
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Things to do |
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(Photo illustration by Tate Rudisill / Los Angeles Times; photos by Jessie Alcheh / AP Photo, Chris Szagola / AP Photo) |
- 🏈 Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers: Here’s how to watch, start time, odds and prediction.
- 📺 Here’s everything to know before Season 5’s premiere of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
- 📖 Read author Meg Howrey’s new book, “Body Language,” which delivers big feelings — including laughter and sobs — alongside big social issues.
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Today’s recipe |
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Pumpkin spice spiked coffee. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) |
This spiked pumpkin spice coffee recipe uses pumpkin spice the way it was meant to be enjoyed, according to Times restaurant critic Jenn Harris, in an alcohol-forward drink that tastes like the cocktail equivalent of the movie “Love, Actually.” |
Question for you |
Have you given up your gas vehicle and joined the growing number of EV drivers in California? Tell us why or why not at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Lisa M. says, “I love to drive my 2026 Ford Mach-E! My husband bought an electric golf cart and a BMW CE 02 electric motorcycle to drive when I’m driving the Mach-E. Not including the electric golf cart, I’ve had 8 electric cars since 1996 starting with my leased GM EV1, (Gen 1 lead acid battery). Yes, I’m celebrating 30 years of driving electric cars in December!” |
Tex W. says, “I only drive around 7,000 or 8,000 miles/year, so I don’t think it’s worth it to pay extra for an EV.” |
Photo of the day |
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Wardrobe stylist and art director Morgan Jordan created a chic bohemian bungalow for herself and her three-legged cat in Glendale. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times) |
Games |
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Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
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