Brace yourself!

Cuz it's getting HOT in huurrreeee!

"People talk about tipping points," said Scripps' climatologist Tim Barnett. "We have gone past it. There is nothing we can do to stop it now. The only question is how big a hit we are going to take."

This month's weather has been for many Southern Californians a perceptual tipping point that brought home the possibility of global warming, just as the fury of Hurricane Katrina did for the people of New Orleans.

Inside the air-conditioned darkness of the Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood, Max Furstenau was cleaning up after a showing of "An Inconvenient Truth," in which former Vice President Al Gore made the case for global warming.

Outside, the weather had finally cooled to the comfortable mid-80s. The day before had hit 110 degrees, breaking the record of 107 set in 1954.

"I know it's happening," Furstenau said.

Me too.