Topline
An early summer heat wave swept through the South over Memorial Day weekend, setting a string of daily record temperatures, as forecasters warn residents to seek air-conditioned rooms and avoid strenuous activity as more records might fall.
Key Facts
Del Rio, Texas, tied its daily and monthly record temperature at 109 degrees on Friday, before topping its monthly record again at a high of 112 degrees on Sunday, the third hottest day ever recorded in the south Texas city, according to the National Weather Service.
Brownsville, Texas, tied its daily record of 98 degrees on Sunday, making it the hottest daily high since 1928, while McAllen, Texas, set a daily high at 103 degrees on Sunday, one degree above its previous record set in 2017.
Daily temperature records also fell in south Florida on Sunday, including in Miami (96 degrees), Fort Lauderdale (96 degrees) and West Palm Beach (95 degrees), with each city breaking its old high for May 26 by two degrees.
The city of Winter Haven, Florida, outside Tampa, tied a daily record on Sunday at 98 degrees, matching its previous record set in 1989, while Melbourne and Fort Pierce, Florida—on the Atlantic Coast—set daily temperature records at 98 degrees on Monday.
Miami could also set a daily temperature record on Monday, the NWS warned, with a heat index (how hot it feels when factoring in other factors like humidity) forecasted to hit 103 degrees in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, 105 in Naples and Homestead, Florida, and a scorching 106 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Forecasters warn several other cities could see near record temperatures on Monday, including Houston, where the NWS recorded a max 93 degrees reading just before 2 p.m. local time (Houston’s daily record of 97 degrees was set in 1973), as well as New Orleans, which saw a high of 91 degrees just before 2 p.m. local time, putting it three degrees behind its all-time daily high of 94 set in 2012.
What To Watch For
Forecasters believe record heat will also drive up the number of named tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic this year. Last week, meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the upcoming 2024 season will bring a record 17 to 25 named storms, including up to 13 hurricanes, with four to seven of those intensifying into category 3 hurricanes (maximum sustained wind speeds of 111 mph or greater). If that prediction holds up, it would far outpace the yearly average of just over 14 named storms observed over the past 30 years, and potentially outnumber the busy 2023 season, which brought 19 named storms and seven hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1.
Surprising Fact
While the South cooked in blistering Memorial Day weekend heat, other parts of the country were nailed by severe storms, tornadoes, snow, fire conditions and in some spots, saw seasonably cool weather. A parade of major storms and tornadoes swept from northern Texas to the Appalachian Mountains on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and injuring over 100 more in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky, causing a trail of widespread devastation and leaving over 250,000 homes and businesses without power.
Tangent
The NWS’ Austin/San Antonio branch warned people to avoid strenuous activity, drink water “even if not thirsty,” avoid leaving kids or pets in unattended vehicles and take breaks in air-conditioned rooms or in shade.
Further Reading