report<\/a>.<\/p>\nNOAA found a three-degree increase above average temperature across the CONUS from June through August, reaching 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit, while surpassing previous records set in 1936 and 2021 by 0.4 degrees.<\/p>\n
Most of the CONUS experienced above-average to exceptionally high temperatures, as both August and summer were the warmest in the 132-year record, the report stated.<\/p>\n
The widespread record-breaking heat included the southern Florida Peninsula and extended much of the Southwest, with Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado recording their warmest or joint-warmest summers on record.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAQAAAAe\/WZNAAAAEElEQVR42mM8U88ABowYDABAxQPltt5zqAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\")
<\/p>\n
The NOAA\u00a0August 2026 U.S. Mean Temperature Percentiles Map shows areas that reached above-average and warmest temperatures, including the\u00a0southern Florida Peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of NOAA<\/p>\n
David Dickson, a meteorologist and climate specialist based in Raleigh, N.C., said increasingly intense heat waves extend beyond this summer\u2019s record temperatures, including those experienced in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201dEvery heat wave on Earth is made more likely and intense as a direct result of human-caused climate change,\u201d Dickson said. \u201cHeat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
David said rising temperatures present an increased risk of repeated exposure to extreme heat and are concerning for people who spend extended periods outdoors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we see multiple days of people having to deal with that heat, outdoor workers especially, it takes a toll on people\u2019s bodies,\u201d Dickson said.<\/p>\n
UCF outdoor workers and students are feeling those effects of the heat across campus. UCF landscaper Aidel Alvarez is among those who spend hours working under the sun across campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are days when we work a little more in the shade, but there are days when we\u2019re cutting the grass and we\u2019re practically in the sun almost the entire day,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cThis year, I\u2019ve felt the heat more intensely.<\/p>\n
Students walking from class to class also spend time outdoors throughout the day. For sophomore mechanical engineering major Vinesh Ramnarine, the effects of the heat can continue after he gets inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that I\u2019m physically affected in terms of body pains and even mentally,” Ramnarine said. “It takes a toll on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Kelly Stevens, a UCF associate professor with research on climate change policies, air pollution and community resilience, said universities may need to consider changes as temperatures continue to rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversities might need to make longer-term investments in more shade, cooling stations, accessible water and other infrastructure to adapt in a warming climate,\u201d Stevens said.<\/p>\n
Stevens suggested additional measures could include monitoring changing conditions, sustainable landscaping and more energy-efficient buildings to help campuses adapt to warmer conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are all things most universities and communities are thinking about,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cWe may need to move towards these solutions a little faster as the hot times are here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UCF students walk through Market Day in front of the student union on\u00a0Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0Students experienced the effects of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[115,139,141,140],"class_list":["post-417397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-news","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417397","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=417397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}