Temperatures reach record highs in West Palm Beach as heat sticks around through weekend

A siege of hot weather that toppled a century-old record in West Palm Beach will continue through the weekend as a mix of humidity and torrid temperatures clings to South Florida.

Saturday is forecast to be the warmest of the two days as a morning of clear skies heats the mercury to 94 degrees with heat index or “feels-like” temperatures reaching between 105 and 110 degrees.

Six high-temperature records were broken between May 10 and May 15 at Palm Beach International Airport, with a peak of 98 degrees reached on Wednesday. That not only broke the 1922 record for that day, but it also tied for the second-highest temperature measured at the airport in the past 24 years.

The highest temperature recorded at the airport since the year 2000 was 99 degrees on Aug. 13, 2006, according to the National Weather Service.

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Robert Molleda, the meteorologist in charge of the NWS Miami office, said it’s unusual to have this many days with far above-normal temperatures in mid-May. The normal high temperature in West Palm Beach for this time of year is 86 degrees.

“We’re right at the beginning of the heat season, and it’s particularly dangerous to have this kind of heat early in the season because we aren’t acclimated to it,” Molleda said. “The nighttime temperatures aren’t dropping as much either, so there is little relief.”

Average overnight lows this time of year are 71 degrees. It’s been warmer than that every day this month.

At the Carvel ice cream shop in West Palm Beach, the steamy afternoons mean people are asking for milkshakes rather than scoops of ice cream to avoid drippy cones. And if they’re not ordering milkshakes, it’s berry sorbet.

“After noon, it’s like crazy with people coming in,” said Carvel employee Eddie Armas.

Through Wednesday, the month of May has been the hottest on record at weather stations throughout South Florida and west to Naples and Fort Myers as well as farther north in Tampa, Orlando, and Vero Beach, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

West Palm Beach’s average median temperature through mid-month was 83 degrees, which is 5 degrees above normal.

Sammy Hadi, a NWS meteorologist in Miami, said Wednesday’s record heat was the product of a “perfect combination” of ingredients — high pressure in the middle to upper atmosphere, southwestern winds, and moist air at the surface.

West winds rushing over the sun-warmed Everglades pump up temperatures on the east coast and can also keep the cooling sea breeze pinned at the coast.

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“Wednesday was just pure southwest winds with a lot of sunshine,” Hadi said.

Hadi said there are no more cold fronts expected as spring transitions to summer. Rainy season, which brings regular afternoon thunderstorms, is “sputtering,” he said. The rainy season in South Florida runs from May 15 through Oct. 15.

At Lion Country Safari, most of the animals are native to areas where high temperatures are normal, so this week hasn’t been overly oppressive, said Safari spokesperson Haley McCann.

Still, keepers will turn sprinklers on the alpacas and tortoises if it gets too hot. Meat eaters may get frozen beef juice cubes, while fruit frozen in buckets of water are treats for herbivores.

“I’ve seen alpacas stand directly over the sprinklers,” McCann said.

More worrisome in the heat are the elderly, young children and outdoor workers who need to take steps to limit their time in the sun, Molleda said.

By Tuesday or Wednesday, a “slightly cooler airmass will settle in,” the NWS said in a forecast.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Heat index temp in West Palm Beach in triple digits through weekend