Fans spinning, air conditioners humming, people working out in the early mornings or late evenings: If you think this summer has been unusually hot, you\u2019re right.<\/p>\n
So far this year, the Orlando area has endured 48 days of temperatures soaring to at least 95 degrees \u2014 and 29 days of 96 degrees or hotter \u2014 according to data from the National Weather Service in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot of sweltering days, considering that the annual average is only about 37 days reaching 95 degrees or hotter.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tos-l-cranes-roost-walkers.jpg\")
A group of walkers decided to get an early start with their workout on Wednesday at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs, before the afternoon temperatures hit the mid-90s. This group of pedestrians meets regularly to walk around the lake a few times. (Martin E. Comas\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Although comprehensive records for continuous stretches of days with high temperatures are not kept, this summer is not the hottest. In 1917 \u2014 considered one of the sultriest years in Orlando\u2019s history \u2014 the area saw 58 days of 95 degrees or hotter by Aug. 19. A day later, however, outdoor thermometers dropped to a seemingly brisk low \u2014 and some would say delightful \u2014 70 degrees.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not likely to happen this week, although Orlando should see slight relief in the coming days with temperatures headed closer to an average high of just 92 degrees.<\/p>\n
However, the heat index \u2014 what the temperature feels like when the humidity level is calculated with the temperature \u2014 will soar above 100 degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe humidity is increasing, so it won\u2019t feel much cooler,\u201d said Robert Haley, a meteorologist with the NWS. \u201cSo people should still be mindful of heat safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s causing the oppressive heat?<\/p>\n
Sinking air caused by a high-pressure ridge hovering at roughly 35,000 feet in the upper atmosphere\u2014 the flying altitude of most commercial jet planes \u2014 heats as it descends to the ground. That sinking air also prevents widespread clouds from forming that bring cooling rains across the region, Haley said.<\/p>\n
The current El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which has weakened the formation of tropical storms in the Atlantic and has given us a mild hurricane season so far this year, plays only a minor role in the current hot temperatures, he said.<\/p>\n
At Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs this week, dozens of pedestrians and joggers walked on the mile-long trail around the lake in the early morning, before the afternoon temperatures hit the mid-90s.<\/p>\n
Adrian Pierce of Orlando visits the popular park about four times a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now I start my workouts in the early mornings, when it\u2019s cooler,\u201d he said Wednesday. He brings along mineral water sprinkled with salt to replenish lost fluids.<\/p>\n
Across the lake, Shruti J.S. sat with her parents near the park\u2019s amphitheater. Like Pierce, the University of Central Florida doctoral student starts her walking routine early.<\/p>\n
\u201cOtherwise it\u2019s too hot for us,\u201d she said. \u201cOr we\u2019ll come in the early evenings.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kahli,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tos-l-record-heat-2.jpg\")
Kahli, a Cane Corso, brings a toy to her person while the two cool off in the water at the edge of Lake Minneola in Clermont on Monday, August 17, 2026. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n
For those anticipating the return of more comfortable temperatures, those are still weeks away. But by mid-October, average daily temperatures in the Orlando area should drop to a high of 84 degrees and a low of 66 degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur summer is not over yet,\u201d Haley said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fans spinning, air conditioners humming, people working out in the early mornings or late evenings: If you think…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,114,266,115,139,141,140,109,221],"class_list":["post-376841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-social","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}