On Tuesday, a cooling playground for children at South Pointe Park in South Beach had people of all ages after a heat dome prompted the National Weather Service to issue an alert.
In the Florida Keys, observers reported that water temperatures were between 95 to 97 degrees. Miami’s heat index has been at or above 100 degrees for about 30 days.
“We have got to take water breaks like every 15 minutes,” said Jack Kinsey about having to work outdoors with a crew in Miami-Dade County.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned the heat wave “will be extremely dangerous and potentially deadly” because of its “intensity, longevity, and a relatively cool start to summer which may have limited the ability for people to acclimate to more typical hot summer weather in this region.”
The heat wave is also poised to warm the seawater, so cooling off while relaxing on the beach is no longer really an option. Extreme heat is generally the number one weather-related killer in the United States.
South Florida’s forecast warns of highs in the mid-90 degrees on Wednesday, but factor in the humidity, and it could feel as hot as 109 degrees.
The heat wave has prompted alerts in California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico that have resulted in the cancelation of many outd
oor events.
In Phoenix, the temperature reached 110 degrees. In Las Vegas, meteorologists expect the temperature to reach 115 degrees later this week. The forecast in Albuquerque is a high of 103 degrees.