EARLY VISIT; THUNDER MAY LINGER A FEW DAYS A FEW DAYS.

Byline: Kathryn Combs Staff Writer

Booming thunder awoke residents early Sunday morning, but by the late afternoon temperatures in the San Fernando Valley were in the triple digits, making people thankful for their air conditioners.

``The humidity is so horrible, it's like a weight pushing down on your chest when you try to breath,'' said 56-year-old Harriet Feinstein.

Feinstein, a longtime Northridge resident, was one of the few brave enough to venture outdoors Sunday to lounge in the shade with her husband, Joel, at Warner Park in Woodland Hills.

According to Bill Hoffer of the National Weather Service, the humid weather and thunderstorms usually don't occur at this time of year.

``We have the basic ingredients for these storms,'' he said. ``But for this time of the year, it's a little bit early. They always form, but not quite so intensely.''

The combination of heat and moisture in areas surrounded by mountains, like the Valley, sometimes leads to such storms, but it's usually later in the summer, Hoffer said.

There's a chance thunderstorms will continue in the area over the next couple of days, mainly in the afternoons and evenings, officials said.