This week, it will feel more like August in Florida with heat indices topping 100 degrees. With summerlike heat, daily record high temperatures are possible across South Florida.
MIAMI – Unseasonable heat turns up in Florida beginning Wednesday and through the rest of the week, with feels-like temperatures surpassing 100 degrees.
Daytime heating with temperatures above 90 degrees and high dew points will lead to dangerous warmth south of the Interstate 4 corridor and throughout South Florida.
This early-season heat wave is particularly dangerous for millions at risk of extreme heat in South Florida because these temperatures are more on par with August, not mid-May.
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Dew points indicate how much moisture is in the air, and they are forecast to remain in the upper 60s to upper 70s throughout the state beginning on Wednesday.
“It’s the combo of high heat and humidity that becomes so dangerous,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “How do we cool down? We step outside, we sweat, that sweat evaporates, and your internal body temperature will drop in response to that.”
(FOX Weather)
With the very soupy air predicted, your body cannot take these steps to cool down. Staying indoors in the air conditioning is the only way to keep cool. If you have to be outdoors, stay hydrated and in the shade.
The heat wave will bake South Florida and will likely set new records beginning Wednesday.
Miami has already set five daily record highs for 2024, including last week. By the end of the week, “The 305” could add another few records to the list.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Miami is forecast to reach a high of 94 degrees. With high dew points above 75 degrees, it will feel like 104 in Miami and 101 in Key West.
(FOX Weather)
The rest of Florida is also heating up this week.
Tallahassee is forecast to hit 90 degrees on Wednesday, with Jacksonville expected to reach a high of 89.
Orlando’s heat index will approach 100 on Tuesday and continue to flirt with 100 degrees into Saturday.
Tampa’s warmest day in terms of the heat index will likely be Saturday, with a forecast feels-like temperature above 100.
Fort Myers will hold steady throughout the week, with temperatures feeling like 99 or higher into the weekend.
Nighttime won’t offer relief from the heat as temperatures will remain in the 80s.
Check twice before you lock
Harris County, Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez talks about ways hot car deaths can be prevented.
With the early heat in Florida, parents and guardians must be vigilant in checking their vehicles for children and pets. Even on an 80-degree day, leaving a child or pet inside a car can be deadly.
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When temperatures outside are above 80 degrees, your vehicle becomes a convection oven. Within 20 minutes, temperatures inside a car can rise nearly 30 degrees, causing life-threatening heat stroke for children.
The graphic below shows how hot a car can become with the temperatures forecast this week.
(FOX Weather)
“We have feels-like temperatures that will be in the triple digits. You got to think about heat safety,” Merwin said. “Think about kids in cars, pets in cars, your neighbors. Everybody kind of needs to check in on one another as we take a look at early onset for heat.”