South Florida heat breaks record: West Palm Beach logs its warmest August in history

The chorus goes up every August — South Floridians moaning “It’s soooo hot out!” Well, this year you may have a point. This was the warmest August on record for West Palm Beach, with average temperatures reaching 85.6 degrees. The previous record was 85 degrees, set in 2016.

Fort Lauderdale’s average temperature reached 85.6 degrees, just 0.1 degrees short of the record set in 1944 and 2007. Miami’s hottest August was 2017, and this past month was just 0.1 shy.

This was also an exceptionally dry August for Fort Lauderdale, which saw only 1.54 inches of precipitation — the fourth driest August on record.

The heat is part of a warming trend that’s been happening for decades.

Palm Beach County’s average annual temperature has climbed from 73.6 degrees in 1980 to 75.8 degrees in 2021. The highest years in that time frame were 2019 and 2020, at 76.9 degrees.

Broward County was actually a bit hotter than Palm Beach County. Average annual temperature climbed from 74.2 degrees in 1980 to 76.7 degrees in 2021. The highest year in that time frame was 2015, at 77.6 degrees.

The first week of September looks to be similarly warm, but turning wet.

Triple-digit heat indices will sustain themselves through the weekend, accompanied by high shower coverage Thursday through Saturday. The east coast will see morning showers and storms likely, while the interior will see afternoon showers. The heaviest rain of the weekend will fall in the Everglades west of Fort Lauderdale.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Oct. 30, with its peak starting in mid-August.

On cue, the tropical Atlantic has become more active. The National Hurricane Center is currently monitoring several systems in the Atlantic, none of which look to be an imminent threat to South Florida.