The temperatures in Florida broke records starting in 2022 and extended into 2023, with 133 days that have been hotter than 90 degrees.
According to the Weather Channel, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando and West Palm Beach were at record heat for the first six months of the year. The Weather Channel is not the only place that says that Florida is breaking records.
USA Today reported in one article that the Earth’s hottest month was July of 2023 and they also said that people in the United States are “Well on their way to one of the warmest years on record.”
“I think it is a lot hotter when we are trying to do outside activities, such as yardwork or take a walk outside,” Alexis Wilson, a sixth grade Earth science teacher said.
Not just teachers have noticed the rise in heat. Many students have noted the outlandish temperatures while outside, whether eating lunch in the courtyard or walking the hallways between classes.
“It’s getting hotter,” said Jack Feuer, eighth grade theater major. “I have to drink more water, and I am sweating a lot.”
Some students also have insight on what may have caused this sudden change in temperature and why events were canceled.
“It’s the end of summer, and it is going to get colder,” said Connor Skillestad, sixth grade communications major. “It may be global warming. It may also be a mental thing.”
Wilson thinks climate change is the most reasonable culprit for the extreme temperatures.
“I think it’s from a couple things,” Wilson said. “I think the biggest factor is climate change. There is also El Niño, which causes our climate to be warmer every few years.”
According to National Geographic, global warming is the long-term warming of the planet’s overall temperature. Though this warming trend has been going on since the 1830s, its pace has significantly increased in the last hundred years due to the burning of fossil fuels.
Some students have also been affected by this heat while playing sports. Skillestad experienced this firsthand.
“I am a catcher for baseball, and the temperature has [been] way hotter, and I’m always drenched in sweat,” Skillestad said.
Students find themselves changing their schedule to adapt to the rising heat.
Rex Ballenger, seventh grade strings major said, “I was supposed to do a 5Kk [run], but it was too hot outside. I had been preparing for a week.”
Teachers like Wilson also plan to spend more time indoors while the heat surges to record levels.
“I think that I have chosen to do more indoor activities,” Wilson said. “I used to walk with a neighbor at night, and now I go to the gym instead.”
