You may have noticed it's been more humid than usual lately. Climate scientists say it’s connected to record-breaking warmth in the Gulf, which is exacerbated by human-caused climate change.
It's still summer in Florida, so we expect it to be hot and humid. But Climate Central scientist Zack Labe said it's going feel more humid in the coming days because of winds blowing those warm water temperatures onshore.
“If you average the sea surface temperature along the Gulf of Mexico, it's actually the warmest on record for this time of year, so those warmer ocean waters are contributing to added humidity, especially for Florida and coastal communities,” Labe said.
Gulf waters were recently 88 degrees with some spots reaching 90 this summer, Labe added, which has been one to three degrees warmer than average across much of the basin.
He said it’s “just a hair, about a tenth of a degree or so above the prior records,” including just last year.
"We can actually quantify that climate change is making those ocean temperatures more than 30 times more likely due to human-caused climate change,” Labe said.
Plus, as the air temperature rises, the atmosphere holds more water, which also boosts humidity levels.
“So that's being contributed from those warming air temperatures and from those offshore warm waters where the winds are blowing them onshore, contributing to that higher humidity level,” he said.
Early September is projected to bring warmer-than-normal air temperatures, which Labe said are made five times more likely due to global warming — that heat will likely be accompanied by thunderstorms.
"On one hand, there will be added heat stress from the higher temperatures and humidity, but on the other hand, at least we will see some relief for the long-term drought that much of the state has been seeing, especially from earlier this year,” Labe said.
It’s important to talk about this, he said, because heatwaves pose a great risk to human health, especially humid heat conditions.
“This idea that climate change is boosting the likelihood of having these really hot and humid conditions increases all of these heat risks. It increases the risk of dehydration all the way to heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” Labe said.
“That’s especially during these conditions when it's more humid, meaning your body is less efficient to be able to sweat, which is our body's natural cooling system.”
And when your body struggles to cool, the heart and kidneys have to work harder.
While we’re currently in an El Niño climate pattern this year, which also causes ocean temperatures to rise, those impacts are more likely to be seen and understood later in the fall and winter months.
