PANAMA CITY— Some intense “near-record” heat could hit Bay County starting on July 27.
“Sunday’s forecast highs will likely be in the upper 90s with some area’s reaching triple digits,” said a National Weather Service meteorologist in this area’s forecast discussion. “We’ll still have drier air in place that should help mitigate the humidity somewhat, but heat index values will still climb to the 106 to 112 range in many locations.”
The meteorologist warns that it will only get worse from there, with a slog of moisture entering the region expected to contribute to the humidity.
“Monday and Tuesday (July 28 and 29) have the capability of (being) very dangerous heat days,” said the NWS forecaster. “Highs both days will be in the 97 to 103 range, near record territory, but heat index values will rise to the 110 to 115 range.”
The weather service says these temperatures are dangerous for everyone, and little relief is expected overnight. Nighttime lows are only expected to hit the 80s.
The previous heat record for July 28 in Panama City was 97, recorded in 1915, according to ExtremeWeatherWatch.com. While this doesn’t take into account humidity, NWS is predicting a maximum temperature of 100 in Panama City on that day.
When the News Herald reached out to the NWS Tallahassee forecasting office, it said its records don’t go back far enough to measure climate norms. The nearest monitoring station to Panama City is at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which recorded a record temperature of 102 in 2007.
While forecasters can’t definitively call the forecast “record temperatures,’ the heat outlook remains brutal all the same.
“Those who don`t have access to cooling will be especially susceptible to heat illnesses,” said the NWS meteorologist. “Make plans now to take care of yourself and others next week from the heat.”
Temperatures are expected to cool down somewhat by July 30 as rain chances increase and the daily trend of showers and thunderstorms picks up again.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: ‘Near-record’ heat could hit Bay County starting July 27. Heat indices as high as 115
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
