Topline
A late spring heat wave swept through the South over Memorial Day weekend, setting a string of daily record temperatures for the unofficial start of summer, as forecasters warn residents to seek air-conditioned rooms and avoid strenuous activity with more records likely to fall.
Key Facts
McAllen, Texas, saw its fourth consecutive new daily record with a high of 101 degrees, while in Florida, Fort Lauderdale set a record for the city at 99 degrees.
Daily temperature records fell across 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 daily high by two degrees.
Brownsville, Texas, tied its latest in a string of daily records at 98 degrees on Sunday, making it the hottest daily high since 1928, while McAllen, Texas, set a daily high at 103 degrees, and Dallas set a new daily record at 98 degrees.
A handful of Texas cities saw new daily heat records as the heat wave continued, including McAllen (100) and Brownsville (99), while Fort Worth tied its daily record, at 95 degrees.
Across the South, Texarkana, Arkansas, also tied its daily record (93), while Baton Rouge, Louisiana, set a new daily high (95).
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.
The cities of Brownsville and McAllen, Texas—on the Mexican border—both set daily records, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at 100 and 102 degrees, respectively.
Pittsburgh tied its daily record, with an 84 degree reading at the Pittsburgh Allegheny County Airport.
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 during the Memorial Day heat wave.
Further Reading