Don’t lose your cool: Heat index could hit 100 in South Florida

Temperatures in South Florida won’t hit 100 degrees in the next two days — but it might feel that way.

Forecasts for Saturday are calling for the heat index to reach up to 99 degrees, and it could hit 100 in some areas, according to Steven Ippoliti, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The heat index considers temperature as well as humidity, Ippoliti said. High temperatures for Saturday are expected hit 91 degrees, but the heat index will remind South Floridians we’re getting close to summer.

“We’re starting to see that creep back up,” Ippoliti said of the heat index. “May is only a couple of days away so we’re working back toward that summerlike pattern.”

It’s not known whether the forecasted heat indexes would be record-breaking because the heat index is not tracked by the National Weather Service.

The heat index is expected to fall to the low 90s Sunday as a slight cool front moves through the area.

The heat index, a term Ippoliti said is being changed to “apparent temperature,” is higher in South Florida because we’re surrounded by water, and in a way, that makes us more uncomfortable.

“When there’s a lot of humidity in the air, the sweat can’t evaporate off your body and, thus, it doesn’t cool down.

“When you’re out west and it’s very dry, the sweat just evaporates right off your body and it cools down, so the heat index is actually lower than the actual temperature,” Ippoliti said.

People tend to dehydrate less in higher heat-index environments because the sweat reminds them they’re losing water.

“It’s something to keep in mind if people are outdoors and doing activities such as yard work or exercising, just to remain very hydrated,” he said. “You can lose a lot of water when the heat index starts going up.”