The calendar says spring but the baking heat has many folks feeling like summer already has arrived.
Since April 1, temperatures have been 2 to 3 degrees warmer than normal, hovering in the mid to upper 80s. Adding to the summer feel, afternoons have been occasionally stormy, even though this is the dry season.
“I’ve been sweating,” said Dorothy Weir, 82, of Boca Raton. “We’re usually well into May before it gets this hot.”
Blame high pressure systems over the western Atlantic for directing southeast winds and steamy heat in our direction, said meteorologist Steven Ippoliti, of the National Weather Service in Miami.
It is hotter than the average high of about 83 degrees for this time of year, but summer consistently sees 90 degree temps — and with humidity feels more like 100 degrees.