Florida expected to fry yet again Thursday as sultry humidity makes it feel nearly 110 degrees
Actual high temperatures Thursday are expected to reach the lower to mid-90s – still a bit above average but a couple of degrees cooler than the past two days. But the humidity is still extremely high, pushing the heat index or feels-like temperature for many cities again into the 105- to 110-degree range Thursday afternoon.
Another sultry day in Florida Thursday as heat indexes climb well above 100
Once again Heat Advisories are in effect for parts of Florida as hot and humid conditions that are beyond the usual summer heat linger through the rest of the week.
MIAMI – The summer hot spell in Florida continues to bake the Sunshine State in a sultry heat-and-humidity combo that has pushed the limits of what even long-time Floridians have experienced.
For much of the state, Thursday will mark the third day with the "feels-like" temperature nearing or reaching over 105 degrees, though some cities have reached 110 degrees or more earlier this week.
Actual high temperatures Thursday are expected to reach the lower to mid-90s – still a bit above average but a couple of degrees cooler than the past two days. But the humidity is still extremely high, pushing the heat index or feels-like temperature for many cities again into the 105- to 110-degree range Thursday afternoon.
Naples, which set a record high of 96 Thursday afternoon, felt like it was 109 outside. Both Miami and Tampa felt like 106. Boca Raton reached a 110 degree heat index.
Heat Advisories have been reissued for west-central and southern Florida through the daylight hours Thursday for heat index readings up to 109 on the peninsula and as high as 113 in the Florida Keys.
(FOX Weather)
"That’s the part of the forecast that should grab your attention," FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "Hot and humid Florida, that all goes together in the summer – that is what you expect. But when Heat Advisories are issued, that’s when you have to really think about how long you’re going to be outside in these types of conditions."
But while central and northern Florida have been given a break from heat alerts Thursday after being inside alerts for Tuesday and Wednesday, feels-like temperatures are still expected to peak between 102 and 107 – all during a holiday week when many tourists have flocked to the state.
"If you’re from Minnesota, and you’re in Florida, and you’re not used to (this) heat and humidity," Merwin said. "You don’t want to mess around with it."
One saving grace remains that scattered showers and thunderstorms will again roam the state amid the heat Thursday afternoon and evening as they've done so during the heat spell, providing at least some occasional brief and temporary cooling at the expense of adding even more of a sticky feel to the air. On Wednesday, just after Orlando reached its peak heat index of 109, thunderstorms knocked temperatures down 15 degrees.
(FOX Weather)
Phoenix East? It felt like 114 degrees in one Florida city Wednesday
It's been a record-breaking week so far in Florida, starting Tuesday when high temperatures in the upper 90s set records. Naples tied a record at 96, while Tampa and Sarasota reached a record 97 degrees, Sanford hit 98, and Brooksville hit 99. Tampa's all-time record high is 99.
FILE - View of the Miami Bay entrance channel in Miami, Florida, during a heat wave on June 26, 2023.
(Giorgio Viera / AFP / Getty Images)
Heat Advisories were reissued for most of the Sunshine State for Wednesday, as temperatures again pushed well into the mid-90s, if not the upper 90s.
Marathon, Florida, broke its daily record high Wednesday by reaching 96 degrees. But when paired with its swamp-like dew point of 79 degrees, the feels-like temperature was calculated at a mind-boggling 114 degrees. Orlando and Melbourne had a heat index of 109 on Wednesday, while Miami felt like 108 and Jacksonville felt like 106.
"This is really tough heat," FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar said. "This is the type of heat that – you know, it’s hot in Florida in the summer months – but this is even hot for anyone who is down there all year round."
Average highs in early July are in the upper 80s along the coast and lower 90s inland.
WHAT IS THE HEAT INDEX AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOUR HEALTH?
‘No sweat?’ Hardly…
In the Desert Southwest when temperatures reach over 110 degrees, the dry air allows sweat to easily evaporate, triggering a cooling process. But in Florida, the extreme humidity values are making it difficult for the body's sweat to evaporate, denying your natural heat defense.
"When you factor in the heat index, now you have this pool of sweat that doesn’t get removed from your body, then your body temperature begins to rise, and if you’re not careful, you can really fall victim to heat illnesses," Minar said. "This is the type of heat that can get dangerous really quickly."
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FILE - Giacarlo Martinez and his dog Bakkhos stay cool in Biscayne Bay on June 27, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
The heat is still on
Temperatures are expected to remain near Thursday's levels through the end of the week, and more typical conditions for July are expected by the weekend, the FOX Forecast Center said.
But the long-range forecasts for the next 6 to 14 days indicate continued above-average temperatures are likely in Florida through the period, meaning heading into a mid-July that remains hot even by typical Florida summer standards.
"We’re in the doldrums of hot, humid, afternoon thunderstorms," Merwin said. "Just rinse and repeat, and it’s in place for quite some time."