Near-record heat to bake Orlando area over long Memorial Day weekend
A scorching long holiday weekend is expected for the Orlando area — with temperatures forecast to reach into the upper 90s.
The heat wave — spurred in part by dry weather, which allows heat to build quicker — will be the latest in a string of above-average temperatures recorded this year, said meteorologist Kole Sehling with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
“It will be hot but it’s not what we haven’t seen already in May,” Sehling said.
Most of the area will face “major” or “extreme” risks of heat-related impacts Saturday through Tuesday according to the Weather Service’s HeatRisk system.
HeatRisk is an experimental index that forecasts risks of heat-related impacts to occur over a 24-hour period. It’s meant to provide guidance for decision-makers and heat-sensitive populations.
The index takes into consideration how unusual the heat is for the time of the year; duration of heat including both daytime and nighttime temperatures; and if those temperatures pose an elevated risk of heat-related impacts based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“Over the next few days … there’s not going to be much break, especially at night,” Sehling said. “The heat will be able to build up and create a higher-than-usual heat risk.”
At the elevated index levels, the Weather Service says area health systems could see a spike in heat-related illnesses while heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure are likely to be impacted. Anyone without effective cooling or hydration could face heat exhaustion or potentially deadly heat stroke — which has symptoms including confusion, dizziness and unconsciousness and requires immediate medical attention.
Those most at risk from heat include the elderly, the very young, people with pre-existing conditions or medications that make them heat-sensitive, people who work or exercise outdoors and those new to the area and not acclimated to hot temperatures.
The Weather Service forecasts a high of 95 and a low of 74 in Orlando on Friday.
The heat wave will continue in Orlando with a high of 96 and a low of 75 on Saturday then peak with a high of 98 on Sunday — a full 10 degrees above the average high of 88 degrees for May — and a low of 74. The highest temperatures ever recorded at Orlando International Airport on these dates were 98 on Saturday, 99 on Sunday and 100 on Monday, according to Sehling.
“We’re forecasting just below to near-record highs,” he said.
Temperatures are expected to stay near a high of 98 on Memorial Day. Taking into account humidity it will feel like triple-digits.
And don’t look to the clouds for much relief. The weekend is expected to be mostly clear with the exception of Saturday — which has a 20% chance of rain and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.
The heat wave will continue through Tuesday with a high of 96. The Weather Services expects temperatures to fall back into the low 90s on Wednesday.
The highest May temperature ever recorded in Orlando was 102 degrees in 1945.
