Blame Tropical Storm Jova in Pacific Ocean for Southern California's humid conditions
Tropical Storm Jova was about 1,000 miles away and headed in the opposite direction from Los Angeles on Sunday, but Southern California was still feeling its effects.
Moisture kicking off the former hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday, is being steered this way by winds in the upper atmosphere — leaving drizzly rain and high humidity across the region, according to the National Weather Service.
"That's what's brought a lot of that moisture and kind of tropical feeling," said David Gomberg, a meteorologist for the weather service. "All of that moisture that was associated with that hurricane kind of got sheared off from the sub-tropics up into Southern California."
Gomberg said it looked like "the peak of the humidity and the moisture" would end some time Sunday, though some computer models were "still showing some lingering moisture" in the region into Monday.
Coastal areas were seeing light rain and sprinkles Sunday morning, though no lightning. There could be thunderstorms and showers later in the afternoon, but that's more likely in the mountains and deserts than along the coast, Gomberg said.
Drier air will move in Tuesday and clear out the mugginess, he said.
The high temperature Sunday was forecast to be 81 degrees near the coast at Los Angeles International Airport, 89 in downtown L.A., and hotter in the valley — hitting 93 in Burbank and 97 in Woodland Hills.
For people near the beaches, a high surf advisory was in effect until 5 p.m. Monday.
Jova on Sunday morning was moving gradually northwest, away from the coast, and is expected to "eventually weaken and dissipate over the colder ocean water," Gomberg said.
Los Angeles County on Monday is expected to be partly cloudy with highs in the mid-80s to lower 90s.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
