The National Weather Service said Tuesday that a lengthy and dangerous heat wave will continue in the Southwest, South Central U.S., and South Florida. The weather service said the prolonged heat wave was due to an expansive dome of high pressure aloft.
The NWS also continued a heat advisory for all of South Florida for Tuesday and during the day Wednesday through 8 p.m.
The Gulf Coast can expect daytime highs in the upper 90s that coincide with oppressively high dew points, resulting in sweltering heat indices between 105-115F. Daily low temperatures will remain quite warm, breaking record warm daily minimums in some areas, allowing for minimal
relief from the heat overnight.
Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories remain in parts of South Florida where well above normal sea surface temperatures and lighter than normal winds are contributing to the stifling heat.
The NWS said heat index values will remain high throughout most of the week in an area of South Florida from Collier County across to Lake Okeechobee and the east coast to West Palm Beach and down to the Florida Keys, ranging between 105 and 110 each afternoon and early evening. Some localized areas could have heat indices exceeding 110 degrees.
Areas impacted by the heat advisory include Gladesand Hendrycounties,coastal and inland Collier County and most points directly east and south, including the cities of Muse, Ortona, Palmdale, Lakeport, Moore Haven, Brighton Seminole, Buckhead Ridge, Felda, Hendry Correctional, Clewiston, Lion Country Safari Park, Wellington, Belle Glade, East Naples, Naples, Marco Island, Marco Island Airport, Royal Palm Hammock, North Naples, Golden Gate, Orange Tree, Bunker Hill, Immokalee, Miles City, Sunniland, and the Miccosukee Indian Reservation.
There was also a continuing Hazardous Weather Outlook for Atlantic coastal waters, southeast Florida, southern Florida, Southwest Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will develop across portions of South Florida this afternoon and this evening. A few of the storms could become strong to marginally severe with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph.
Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rainfall could also result in the potential for localized flooding this afternoon into this evening.
Further north, into Lee, Charlotteand Sarasotacounties, heat index values could reach from 103 to 107 Tuesday and into Wednesday. However, no heat advisory has been issued for this area.
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The weather service also said that while heat index values will fall below advisory criteria during the night hours, heat indices in the 90s will be common during each overnight period into the upcoming weekend.
The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. There is direct relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity and the heat index, meaning as the air temperature and relative humidity increase (decrease), the heat index increases (decreases).
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