This summer, people are feeling the heat. Recently, the EU’s climate change monitoring service reported that June 2024 was the hottest June on record. This marks another month of some the hottest temperatures ever recorded. If the temperature keeps up at its current pace, scientists say it puts 2024 on track to become the hottest year in world history. When 2023 was the previously hottest year on record, it does not bode well for the future of the planet or its people.
Thanks to the combined effects of human-caused climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon, temperatures keep rising, causing devastating effects across the globe. Just this year, over a thousand people died during oppressive heat during the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Furthermore, heat deaths were recorded in tourist spots like Greece. New Delhi, which on average sees pretty high temperatures in the summer months, has endured an unprecedented heat wave this year, killing dozens of people in the process. Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at U.S. non-profit Berkeley Earth, estimates “that there is an approximately 95% chance that 2024 beats 2023 to be the warmest year since global surface temperature records began in the mid-1800s.”
It’s not just the rest of the world that’s baking in the sun, either. Many major cities in the United States will experience temperatures that at least feel like over 100 degrees this weekend. More arid, desert-like climates will see the worst of it. Major cities in Arizona face incredibly high temperatures for the next couple days, with many estimates putting the maximum temperature at over 110 degrees throughout the state. While most major cities in Florida also face high temperatures, they will hover closer to 100 degrees. With the sunshine state’s notorious humidity, however, those temperatures will feel far from comfortable. So hit the AC, guzzle water, and stay in the shade, because it’s going to feel over 100 degrees in these major cities this weekend.
Methodology
To determine the major cities where it is going to feel over 100 degrees this weekend, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on heat index forecasts from the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Cities were ranked based on the average forecasted heat index maximum for July 26-28, 2024. Data was aggregated from points to cities using Voronoi tessellation and place boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line program. Only cities with at least 150,000 residents were considered. Population data is from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and are five-year estimates for 2022.
26. Tucson, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 101.0°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 100.1°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 99.8°F
- Total population: 541,033
25. Jacksonville, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 101.9°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 101.7°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 98.2°F
- Total population: 950,203
24. Jackson, MS
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 97.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 102.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 103.2°F
- Total population: 153,271
23. New Orleans, LA
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 100.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 100.9°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 101.9°F
- Total population: 380,408
22. Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 100.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 101.1°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 102.3°F
- Total population: 182,673
21. Hollywood, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 100.7°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 101.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 102.5°F
- Total population: 152,764
20. Miami, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 101.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 101.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 103.0°F
- Total population: 443,665
19. Port St. Lucie, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 102.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 102.8°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 102.5°F
- Total population: 210,520
18. Mobile, AL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 101.9°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 102.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 103.6°F
- Total population: 186,316
17. Brownsville, TX
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 100.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 101.7°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 106.7°F
- Total population: 186,999
16. Baton Rouge, LA
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 101.9°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 103.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 105.8°F
- Total population: 225,500
15. Pembroke Pines, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 102.9°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 103.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 105.0°F
- Total population: 170,472
14. Hialeah, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 103.0°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 103.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 105.0°F
- Total population: 222,996
13. St. Petersburg, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 104.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 104.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 103.6°F
- Total population: 259,343
12. Cape Coral, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 104.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 104.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 104.4°F
- Total population: 198,912
11. Tallahassee, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 103.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 106.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 104.8°F
- Total population: 198,259
10. Orlando, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 106.1°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 105.8°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 102.9°F
- Total population: 307,738
9. Tampa, FL
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 105.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 105.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 104.5°F
- Total population: 388,768
8. Scottsdale, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 108.7°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 106.1°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 104.3°F
- Total population: 240,537
7. Peoria, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 109.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 106.0°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 104.3°F
- Total population: 191,292
6. Phoenix, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 111.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 108.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 106.8°F
- Total population: 1,609,456
5. Mesa, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 111.6°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 109.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 107.7°F
- Total population: 503,390
4. Glendale, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 112.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 109.2°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 107.5°F
- Total population: 248,083
3. Gilbert, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 111.6°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 109.7°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 107.8°F
- Total population: 267,267
2. Tempe, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 112.5°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 110.1°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 108.3°F
- Total population: 181,005
1. Chandler, AZ
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 26, 2024: 112.4°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 27, 2024: 110.3°F
- Forecasted heat index maximum for July 28, 2024: 108.5°F
- Total population: 275,618