We’ve all probably become a little numb to hearing it being said, but with every summer now comes the oppressive, sometimes unbearable heat.

We’re feeling the start of it this year, with a few days of sweltering temperatures around the Bay Area, some places hitting into the triple digits. And while this heat wave is a short-lived one, many are bracing for the next one, and the next, and the next.

So, what will the warmer months hold for us in California and around the rest of the western United States this year? And will the weather extremes we see become more frequent and worse as time goes by?

To help us understand the here and now - and what may come - we turn to Daniel Swain, Climate Scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and with the National Center for Atmospheric Research