Florida cities break heat records amid hottest May ever

Temperatures in southern Florida were at a record high during the month of May, according to data collected by the National Weather Service (NWS).

The NWS Miami office said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) Monday morning that the average temperatures at the four climate stations in South Florida—Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples—all recorded their warmest averages for the month.

In Miami, where normal temperatures sit around 80.1 degrees for May, the average temperatures this year reached 83.7. Fort Lauderdale clocked in around 85.1 degrees on average, compared to its normal of 79.7. West Palm Beach’s average in May was 84.2, several degrees warmer than its normal monthly average of 78.9. And Naples was around 83 degrees all month, compared to its 78.8 normal.

Several cities in the Sunshine State set daily heat records last week as well. In Tampa, Sarasota-Bradenton and Punta Gorda daily records were set back-to-back on both Wednesday and Thursday. Miami broke its daily high for May 26, reaching 96 degrees, as did West Palm Beach at 95.

Scattered storms in South Florida over the weekend and into Monday brought some potential relief from the heat, although the NWS said that heat indexes were around 100 degrees Monday afternoon. Forecasters also warned that heat indexes “are expected to increase to near Heat Advisory criteria by the end of the week into next weekend.”

Meanwhile, residences in western and southwestern United States are under excess heat warnings later this week as NWS warned of potential “lethal temperatures” in California, Nevada, Arizona and southern Utah. The warnings will go into effect Wednesday morning and last into Thursday or Friday, with the most severe temperatures expected on Thursday.

“This level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” the NWS said in its Heat Risk Index, which shows heat-related impacts over 24 hours. “Impacts likely in most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure.”

The NWS office in Las Vegas said that its city has a 77 percent chance of tying its daily temperature record on Thursday at 110 degrees. Extreme heat-related impacts are also expected for Fresno, Bakersfield and Ridgecrest in central and southern California.

Forecasters are urging residents to “drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”

“Take extra precautions when outside,” the NWS added. “Wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.”