Florida’s Sweltering Heat

Florida is known for its heat and, well, somewhat unpleasant smells. It turns out that three of the sweatiest cities in the United States are right here in the Sunshine State.

According to a recent study, West Palm Beach, Miami, and Fort Myers top the list for the most uncomfortable heat. This analysis was conducted by a beverage company, Waterboy.

The Texas-based brand used climate data from 80 different cities to develop a “hydration demand score,” which rates cities from 0 to 100 based on factors like heat index, average temperature, dew point, and humidity. The national average for this score sits at around 17.5.

You might be surprised, or maybe not, but seven of the top ten cities are in Florida.

Let’s take a closer look at West Palm Beach, which has the highest demand for deodorant, scoring a hefty 58.9. This city experiences over half the year—54.1% to be exact—of temperatures surpassing 80 degrees, a threshold set by the National Weather Service.

Miami and Fort Myers follow closely, scoring 51 and 46.4, respectively. It’s interesting because, just a few weeks ago, Daniela Cordova, a 19-year-old from New York, mentioned how she found Miami unbearable. “It was so hot that I couldn’t wear makeup; I was sweating profusely,” she recounted.

Moving on to the next city, Honolulu, Hawaii, ranks fourth on this hydration scale with a score of 46.4. Then you have Melbourne, Florida, sitting at fifth with a score of 41.5, while Tampa and Orlando come in with scores of 40.7 and 37.4, respectively.

New Orleans is next at eighth with a score of 36.1, followed by Houston with 35.3, and Jacksonville rounds out the list at number ten with a score of 31.9.

The study highlights that heat and humidity peak around August for most of these top ten cities, except for Houston and Jacksonville, where the hottest month tends to be July.

“In tropical regions like Florida and the Southeast, we can expect to see higher humidity and more intense heat,” said meteorologist Carl Erickson. It makes you wonder just how much more we can handle!