Florida is known for its summer warmth, but the first half of July has featured downright hot temperatures.
In Orlando, high temperatures have been above average for 13 of the past 15 days. The average high in Orlando for early to mid-July is 92 degrees.
Ten of those days have featured highs at or above 95 degrees at the Orlando International Airport. Orlando has also tied two record highs so far in July. We saw 97 degrees on July 7 and touched the record of 98 degrees on July 13.
There have been two primary culprits for the above normal heat.
Slightly drier air has moved in over the area. This has resulted in reduced cloud cover and storm coverage, two factors which help limit temperatures from pushing into the mid-90s.
Another issue has been the dominant south and southwesterly winds the state has seen.
These winds help stop the Atlantic sea breeze from making quick advancement into interior areas. Even on dry days, the sea breeze helps to cool the air as it marches inland.
While the weekend looks cooler with higher storm chances, the relief looks to be short-lived. The latest Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day outlook for late July has the entire state of Florida with above-average temperatures.
While the weekend offers some relief and will be a nice pause from the above normal heat, it won’t be gone for long.