Data from the National Weather Service (NWS) shows that temperatures in southern Florida hit a new high point in May.
In a message to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning, the NWS Miami office said that the four climate stations in South Florida—in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Naples—had their hottest average temperatures of the month.
For May, the average temperature in Miami is about 80.1 degrees. This year, the average temperature was 83.7 degrees. It was about 85.1 degrees in Fort Lauderdale on average, which is warmer than its usual temperature of 79.7 degrees. East Palm Beach’s average in May was 84.2, which is a few degrees warmer than its standard average of 78.9 for the month. Also, Naples was about 83 degrees all month, when it usually is 78.8 degrees.
Last week, some towns in the Sunshine State also set new daily high temperatures. All three daily records were set in Tampa on Wednesday and Thursday. They were set in Sarasota-Bradenton and Punta Gorda. At 96 degrees, Miami set a new daily high for May 26. West Palm Beach also did, at 95 degrees.
South Florida had a few storms over the weekend and into Monday, which might have helped cool things down a bit, though the NWS said it was still around 100 degrees Monday afternoon. Plus, weather forecasters said that “heat indexes are expected to rise to near Heat Advisory criteria by the end of the week into next weekend.”
At the same time, people in the western and southwestern United States are being warned about “lethal temperatures” in California, Nevada, Arizona, and southern Utah later this week. The warnings will start early Wednesday morning and last until Thursday or Friday. Thursday is likely to have the worst weather.
The NWS said in its Heat Risk Index, which shows the effects of heat over 24 hours, “this level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone who isn’t properly cooled and/or hydrated.” “Impacts likely in most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure.”
According to the NWS office in Las Vegas, there is a 77% chance that Thursday will be the hottest day ever with 110 degrees. Fresno, Bakersfield, and Ridgecrest in central and southern California are also likely to be affected by the extreme heat.
“Drink lots of fluids, stay in a cool room, stay out of the sun, and check up on family and neighbors,” are the words that forecasters are telling people.
“Be extra careful when you’re outside,” the NWS said. “Wear clothes that are light and don’t fit too tightly.” Try to do hard things only in the early morning or late at night. When you see signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you need to do something.