ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s June. It’s Florida. It’s supposed to be hot.
Over the last week, however, it’s been just a little hotter than it should be. With an average high in the mid 90s this past week, it’s felt more like Dallas than Central Florida.
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The current forecast for Saturday in Orlando is 98, but it has the potential to reach 99 degrees without the humidity. While one degree doesn’t make that much of a difference, if the temperature does soar to 99 degrees or hotter at the Orlando International Airport, it will be the hottest day since 2015.
Because of the humidity and surrounding oceans, it’s hard for Central Florida to reach 100 degrees. Below shows the last time that happened.
The afternoons have been scorching, of course, but it’s the lack of relief in the evenings that adds insult to injury. Even in the hottest part of summer, we can look for some relief in the form of cooling afternoon storms. Those storms, as expected, have been non-existent.
In the mid-to-upper levels of the atmosphere, a huge area of high pressure has ruled the roost. Under these big heat domes, air sinks, which not only increases temperatures at the surface, but also helps to dry out the atmosphere.
With the lack of moisture thousands of feet above our heads, it’s hard to bubble up even a few puffy clouds to shade us from the sun, let alone a cooling thunderstorm.
From the period of June 10 through June 16, overnight lows have been the second warmest on record in that stretch, feeling more like late August than late June.
This pattern breaks down a little allowing for thunderstorms to return late Saturday afternoon and into the evening. A more typical June pattern for Florida returns for a short time, Monday into Tuesday, before the hotter, drier days surge back for the middle and latter portion of next week.