This week’s record-setting humidity and heat almost broke L.A. How much longer will it last?

Another bout of brutal heat and energy-sapping humidity socked Southern California on Thursday, continuing what has been a remarkably muggy summer that’s brought wildfires, coastal erosion, record-breaking temperatures and general misery.

But a break, finally and thankfully, is in sight.

By Friday, “we’ll see some pretty dramatic relief,” said Bryan Lewis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.

Lewis’ reassurance comes a day after a slew of heat records were tied or broken across California.

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On Wednesday, downtown Los Angeles hit a high of 105 degrees — tying a daily temperature record set in 2024. Paso Robles saw the mercury reach 106, matching a record set in 1993.

Five cities beat their previous records for the day:

• Camarillo: 99 degrees, breaking the previous record of 95 set in 2022
• Long Beach: 107, broke the record of 103 set in 2015
• Oxnard: 98, broke the record of 96 set in 2022
• Santa Barbara: 96, broke the record of 95 set in 1984
• Santa Maria: 103, broke the record of 99 set in 1984

Farther south in San Diego County, temperatures in inland coastal valleys hovered between 105 and 110 degrees and a thunderstorm in the Pauma Valley produced 50 mph winds.

Escondido residents experienced the warmest day since city records began in 1893, the National Weather Service’s San Diego office said in a post on X.

The overall average temperature in the city was 96.5 degrees.

San Diego International Airport saw four straight days of at least 90 degrees, though that streak ended Thursday.

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More thunderstorms could also wash over the area on Thursday, the Weather Service’s San Diego office said.

The sizzling temperatures are brought on by a combination of a strong upper-level ridge of high pressure coming from Arizona and an offshore flow coming from the north and east. It’s brought unbearably warm temperatures, high humidity and dangerous surf to local beaches.

Communities have seen waves pound the coastline, eroding the shore and putting homes and infrastructure at risk. Multiple people have drowned this summer.

Officials have described the unprecedented heat as feeling even hotter than recorded temperatures, a sensation primarily caused by the usually high humidity.

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This week’s soaring temperatures alarmed students and parents of the Torrance Unified School District, where some campuses do not have air conditioning.

In an email to parents, the superintendent’s office said administrators visited the hottest schools on Wednesday and received emails and thermostat readings regarding the conditions.

“We recognize that the temperatures in many of our classrooms reached record-breaking levels that were miserable for both staff and students,” the email stated.

The Times reached out to the district for comment Thursday but did not immediately receive a response.

District officials are implementing temporary measures at school sites without AC, such as cooling zones, ensuring hydration and minimizing outdoor physical exertion.

“We recognize these efforts do not sufficiently address today’s near record-breaking heat,” the email to parents said.

In Los Angeles, the offshore flow that pulls warm air from inland toward the coast was expected to be significantly weaker Thursday morning, and then reverse to an onshore flow by the afternoon, sweeping in cooler air from the ocean, the National Weather Service said.

Temperatures in some parts of the coast and nearby valleys could drop 4 to 8 degrees Thursday, while only dropping a degree or two in the mountains and foothills, the Weather Service’s Oxnard office said.

Still, temperatures everywhere are significantly above average, the Weather Service said, so “many locations will keep the very high heat risk going for one more day.”

The humidity makes this heat much more dangerous than previous heat waves, according to Los Angeles County public health officials.

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Public health officials say all residents should limit their outdoor activities during the afternoon, seek air-conditioned spaces, and take lots of breaks. Residents are advised to check on those at high risk for heat-related illness, including people with preexisting conditions, older adults, pregnant women, children and anyone without access to air conditioning.

By Friday, the region will experience another cooling trend — with temperatures dropping another 5 degrees — but the bigger relief will be the decreasing humidity that will probably “be a lot closer to what we normally expect in terms of that amount of moisture in the air,” said Bryan Lewis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.

“Friday is when we’ll start feeling it, and we’ll also start to kind of lose some of that really humid tropical air,” he said.