Weather alert: ‘Excessive heat warning’ issued for South Florida — may feel like 115
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Sizzling South Florida
Extreme heat is already leaving South Florida sweating. How will we adapt to the warming world?
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It’s hotter than we expected.
The National Weather Service upgraded a heat advisory for the region by issuing an “excessive heat warning” through 7 p.m. Tuesday. More heat advisories could be coming this week.
“Feels like” temperatures on Tuesday were forecast to run 112 to 116 degrees, a range the weather service said is “quite unusual.”
“Sizzling and dangerously hot,” said CBS News Miami meteorologist Lissette Gonzalez.
The heat index measures how hot it feels when relative humidity is factored with actual air temperature. The weather service issues alerts when the heat index is expected to exceed 105 to 110 degrees for several hours. An excessive heat warning is issued when the heat index is expected to remain at 110 degrees or higher.
The excessive heat warning issued for Tuesday covered Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The Florida Keys were put under an excessive heat warning later in the day.
“In these kinds of humid and hot conditions, heat-related illnesses can occur quickly if proper precautions are not followed,” the weather service warned.
“You will want to avoid being outside,” Gonzalez said. “And if you have to be outside, stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.”
Amid the “sweltering” heat on Tuesday, the weather service forecast a 50% chance of rain Tuesday, with less of a chance Wednesday and Thursday.
The actual air temperatures could be record-breakers as they rise to the mid- to upper-90s across South Florida this week, leading to more heat index advisories.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 4:53 AM.
