Unfortunately, we're still recovering from the record-breaking extreme heat we experienced last May — a full month before summer even started. At one point, the heat index, AKA the "feels-like temperature," hit an astonishing 112 degrees, surpassing the previous daily record by a whopping 11 degrees. Which is to say we experienced temperatures more commonly found during the summer months of July and August.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, the weather across the Sunshine State is expected to be warm and dry over the next three months.
"For Florida, it looks like good odds of a warmer-than-average spring and slight odds of a drier-than-average spring," meteorologist Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami, tells New Times.
In their seasonal precipitation and temperature three-month outlooks issued on February 20, NOAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) predict a 33 to 44 percent chance of below-normal precipitation and a 60 to 70 percent chance of higher temperatures through the end of May.
While forecasters expect a drier spring hereabouts, McNoldy advises South Floridians to keep their umbrellas handy. There is always a chance of major thunderstorms, he says, especially when temperatures rise above average. Even if the rainfall turns out to be lacking, do not rule out the possibility of high humidity. It still could feel like a steambath outdoors.
"Humidity and rainfall aren't always correlated, because even if it's anomalously humid, heavier rain showers could favor the east or west coast of the peninsula, depending on the prevailing winds," the meteorologist explains.
