The world's largest thermometer reopened in Baker, California yesterday, reminding people in the middle of the Mojave Desert that it gets hot in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

The intensely hot temperatures baking parts of the Los Angeles area this week are coming to a close, but not before managing to break a few more records by the end of the day today. Areas around downtown L.A. could exceed 100°F this afternoon.

The western United States is famous for its calm, predictable weather, so it's noteworthy when extreme weather happens. Parts of California and Oregon have been sweltering under heat exceeding 100 degrees in some spots, and it's making people ask "what gives?"

The Weather Prediction Center predicts that up to seven inches of rain could fall across parts of California over the next couple of days, bringing much-needed relief to a state ravaged by drought since the summer of 2011.

A plume of tropical moisture known as an "atmospheric river" streaming across the Pacific Ocean will bring some much-needed rain to parts of the West Coast tonight and tomorrow, but will do little to satiate the exceptional drought that California has experienced for the last few years.