Good Tuesday morning, September 8th, 2026, at roughly 11:40 am PT.
The western US is officially turning up the thermostat for Tuesday and adding to that sticky mess in southern CA, September 8, 2026, as a stubborn ridge of high pressure parks itself over the Southwest while the northern Rockies hold onto a deep upper low. Hot, humid, lightning for some and uncomfortable conditions... lets break it down.
Southern California
LA and Ventura Counties: Turning hotter and uncomfortably humid if not one of the worst humidity levels across the Nation. Lingering tropical moisture might treat you to a surprise morning thunderstorm given the right ingredients available, complete with brief heavy rain and lightning, before the atmosphere decides to calm down and just make you sweat. Some of those heat index levels are really going to make it hard to breathe in LA…**LA downtown heat index of 110 possible on Wednesday.... **
San Diego: Miserable humidity combined with a heatwave will make the temperature feel far more uncomfortable than normal, especially across coastal areas. The thermometer might show 95, but that sticky humidity will make it feel more like 100+ degrees.
Socal Inland Empire: Baking nicely to a crisp 95 to 101 degrees the way you like it.
The Socal Deserts: The High Desert enjoys breezy afternoon west winds in the upper 80s to low 90s. The Low Desert, including the Coachella Valley, fully embraces the sauna lifestyle, climbing to 105 to 108 degrees with elevated humidity and unpleasantly warm overnight conditions.
Arizona: Phoenix and the western lower deserts are firing up the usual ovens to 107 to 110 degrees. Meanwhile, eastern and southeastern Arizona, including the White Mountains, Mogollon Rim, and Tucson, get to play weather roulette. Thunderstorms in these areas bring the threat of heavy rain, strong outflow winds, and isolated flash flooding.
Nevada: Warming, drying, and finally catching a break from the wind. Reno is sitting pretty in the lower to middle 80s, while Las Vegas touches the 100 degree mark. Thunderstorm chances are virtually nonexistent, so your outdoor plans are safe from sudden desert downpours.
Northern California: Temperatures are climbing fast, with inland valleys like Sacramento and Redding hitting the 90s. Combined with exceptionally dry air and gusty north winds, fire weather concerns are elevated today, so absolutely no outdoor welding or gender reveal parties involving explosives.
Utah Utah is the uncontested winner of the regional weather lottery today. Expect mostly sunny, dry skies with lighter winds and valley temperatures rebounding into a highly reasonable and pleasant 80s.
Stay tuned for more updates.
