L.A.'s record-level humidity can make you sick. How to survive the misery

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Set us as preferred Officials are sounding alarms about the potential health impacts related to this week’s oppressive humidity and intense heat in Southern California.Heat-related illness is a major issue in California and beyond, amid climate change and rising temperatures.But experts say the public is still getting its head around the dangers.

A Times investigation in 2021 tallied 3,900 heat deaths and in California over a decade and found public agencies struggled to provide help to those in need.Public health officials in Los Angeles County have seen an increase in emergency visits for heat-related illness during the heat wave over the summer months, according to a heat-related illness and mortality dashboard maintained by the county health department.This week, humidity is causing temperatures to feel ever hotter.“That is extremely humid by anyone’s definition, this isn’t just ‘Oh, it never gets humid in Southern California we aren’t acclimated,” said climate scientist Daniel Swain said.

“This is an absolute humidity that is very high, and in some cases it is right up there at the ceiling of the humidity that we’ve really ever seen in this part of the world at any time of year.”Experts have told The Times, humidity impedes the body’s ability to cool itself naturally, because the moist atmosphere doesn’t allow for sweat to evaporate as easily, causing you to continue to get warmer.If the humidity is lower, you’re less likely to succumb to a heat-related illness.“Heat stress” is the total amount of heat that a person’s body must adjust to in order to keep a stable temperature in our core and organs, said Dr.

David Eisenman, professor with the David Geffen School of Medicine and Fielding UCLA School of Public Health.“Our body works best when the internal temperature is about 98.6 degrees ...