JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the summer of 2024 blazes on, Jacksonville finds itself in the grip of incessant heat with temperatures soaring to 90 degrees or higher for an unbroken stretch of 28 days and counting. This makes it the 15th longest streak of scorching temperatures on record since meticulous record-keeping began in 1938.
This relentless heat wave kicked off right after the summer solstice, with the mercury refusing to dip below the 90-degree mark each day. If this trend persists over the next four days, Jacksonville could find itself breaking into the top 10 list of all-time hottest summers.
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What sets this summer apart is not just the persistence of the heat but also its intensity. Remarkably, there hasn’t been a single day where temperatures peaked in the 80s.
While relief might be expected from summer rains, the sporadic downpours that began towards the end of June have done little to quench the unwavering heat. Instead, they have merely punctuated the days, arriving well after the sun has already baked the city through the early afternoon.
Adding to the intensity, several days have seen temperatures soar above 95 degrees, with a scorching 100-degree day on June 23. These readings far surpass Jacksonville’s average high of 92 degrees, underscoring just how exceptional this heat wave was totaling 4 days over 95°. However, compared to 2023, it was shorter than the city’s fifth-longest streak of 95 or higher days in August.