Don't say global warming or you be locked up. Ther's no such-a-thing.
Scorching heat and humidity have descended over parts of Texas, the Gulf Coast and South Florida this week — a bout of
that has experts bracing for what’s to come.
A full month before the official start of summer, Miami is already in the midst of its hottest May on record, according to experts.
The city’s heat index — a measure of what conditions feel like when humidity and air temperatures are combined — hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend, smashing the previous daily record by 11 degrees, according to Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami. The weekend heat index also beat Miami’s monthly record by 5 degrees,
.
“Even if it had been two or three months from now, like July or August, it still would have been pretty astounding to have two consecutive days with 112 degree heat index here,” McNoldy said. “For any time of the year, that would be extraordinary. But for mid-May, it was completely unprecedented. Not even close.”
Last summer was the hottest on record for Miami —
. Forecasters say above average temperatures are likely for much of the country over the next three months, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
that 2024 is already on pace to rank among the five warmest years in recorded history.
Miami’s recent 112-degree heat index reading was recorded both Saturday and Sunday, marking only the second time in the city’s recorded history that there have been back-to-back days of heat index values at or above that level, according to McNoldy. The other instance was Aug. 8 and 9, 2023.
“It’s certainly warmer now than 2023 was to this point,” McNoldy said. “I don’t know what the rest of 2024 has in store for us, but I hope this is not foreshadowing of breaking the 2023 records.”
