Coral bleaching has gotten quite a bit of attention partially because of its impact on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The effects of warmer or cooler currents have also been in the general media because of La Niña and El Niño and their effect on the climate throughout the Americas. This article offers yet another perspective noting that all it takes is warmer water offshore to affect local weather. One more thing to watch.
https://mashable.com/2018/08/15/record-ocean-heat-weather-california/#r9nrFQoyJ5q3
The baking Pacific Ocean is changing the weather on the Southern California coast
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“We’re in a record-setting streak right now,” Mark Moede, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego, said in an interview. “It’s unprecedented — typically it’s pretty temperate.”
Since July 1, San Diego hasn’t had a single day where the high temperature fell below normal.
NWS San Diego
✔@NWSSanDiego
sea surface temperature #sst extremes in the California bight as observed on satellite (departure from average) shows how large of an area is anomalously warm #cawx #sandiegowx and this has increased warmth and humidity on the coast, SAN has been 80F or higher 16 straight days
Warmer waters, which recently hit over 81 degrees Fahrenheit off Southern California, heat masses of air near the ocean, which then boost and sustain temperatures on the coast. The effect in these communities — which historically have had no use for air conditioners — has been palpable.
“It’s been really, really warm and uncomfortable to try and sleep in,” said Moede. “The nights are getting to be intolerable.”
The average August high temperature in San Diego is 76 degrees, yet on August 9 though 11, the lowest night time temperature didn’t fall below 77 degrees, noted Moede.
Scripps Oceanography
✔@Scripps_Ocean
Another sea-surface temperature record was broken today, August 8. Scripps scientists with @shoresta100 measured a water temp of 79.2°F (26.3°C) at the end of Scripps Pier. pic.twitter.com/XXgVt7wUR2
Scripps Oceanography
✔@Scripps_Ocean
Yet another record-high sea surface temp was measured today (Aug. 9) from Scripps Pier by aquarists at @Birch_Aquarium: 79.5°F (26.4°C). A congregation of bat rays was also spotted in the unusually warm water. @shoresta100 pic.twitter.com/MD24zaIfms
“That gives you an idea of how amazingly warm it has been at night,” he said.
But it’s not just the temperature that’s been unusually high. The dew point, or amount of moisture in the air, has also been “pretty darn high,” said Moede. This is a simple matter of physics. Warmer air can hold more water vapor.
A dew point above 70 means it’s pretty muggy out, and even coastal San Diego has experienced dew points in the mid-70s. For reference, the dew point in notoriously muggy Miami on Tuesday was 76.
NWS San Diego
The warm ocean temperatures, while influential, haven’t been the only contributor to San Diego’s hot days. A hot mass of air has been sitting over the Southwestern U.S., resulting in extended periods of heat.
Heat waves certainly happen from time to time, but climate scientists repeatedly underscore that human-caused climate change, which has resulted in an accelerated warming of the planet, enhances heat waves to new extremes and spurs on new records.
This has been overwhelming apparent in the Western U.S., which has seen a number of all-time records fall amid a series of heat waves.
Abycats' Thoughts 