Why this summer’s Los Angeles heat waves feel so miserable — and more UCLA media

The Los Angeles Times reported on the unusual heat wave descending on the region this week, in which a combination of hotter nights and high humidity is leaving Angelenos feeling little relief. Multiple factors contribute to a person’s thermal burden, or the amount of heat their body carries, said Bharat Venkat, a medical anthropologist and director of the UCLA Heat Lab. Humidity is a critical one, he says — since muggy air can hold less moisture, the sweat on a person’s body doesn’t evaporate as swiftly.