Florida boiled through the last month of meteorological summer, feeling itssecond warmest August on record with 12 counties topping the temperature charts with their hottest Augusts in more than a century.
A National Centers for Environmental Information report released Sept. 9 detailed theswampy misery that cranked up landscaping costs, sent gators plunging to cooler pools and left beach umbrella businesses flush with customers.
“We always complain because it gets downright disgusting in August,” said Scott McCauley, owner of Big Kahuna Beach Rentals in Cocoa Beach, about the heat. “Everyone in Florida this time of year can’t wait until October.”
Statewide, August’s average temperature was 83.7 degrees, that’s 2.6 degrees cozier than normal and
ranks August 2026 as the second warmest in records dating back 132 years. The hottest August for the Sunshine State was in 2023 when the average temperature spiked to 84.9 degrees.
The 12 counties with that hit No. 1 on the heat charts were all in South Florida and the Treasure Coast including Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Collier, Lee, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry.
Martin County saw thebiggest deviation from its normal August average with the mercury reaching 85.1 degrees, a 3.9-degree difference from what’s normal.
Most of the remainder of the state was considered “much above” average when it came to August temps with only six counties ranked “above average”, which was the coolestanywhere in Florida got last month.
The above average counties were Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Gulf, Franklin and Clay.
For the alligators at Gatorland in Orange County, where August was its fourth warmest on record, keepers made sure there was plenty of deep water in the exhibits and ponds.
“Alligators have been around for a long time so this is not their first rodeo for summer heat,” said Gatorland Director of Media Relations Brandon Fisher. “Typically, when it is hot outside, alligators tend to go down to deeper water where it is cooler.”
Gatorland visitors can cool off in the shade and in a splash pad.
“People still come no matter what the weather is doing,” Fisher said.
What was the statewide Florida rainfall for August in 2026?
At least part of the August heat is being attributed to the current El Niñoclimate pattern.
Robert Molleda, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service office in Miami, said El Niño can create a prevailing strong area of subtropical high pressure near or over Florida.
The high pressure led to sinking air which warms and dries as it falls, sucking the moisture from clouds, increasing sunshine and reducing the chances for cooling rain showers.
Statewide, rainfall in August was near normal, according to the Sept. 9 report.
But it varied widely. Glades County had a 2.4-inch rain deficit last month while Alachua County got 3 inches more rain than what’s normal for August.
In Palm Beach County, which was down more than 2 inches of rain countywide last month, lawns browned, plants withered and watering bills went up.
“Everyone was experiencing severe drought in their sod. The evaporation was so high, it was really suffering,” said Alberto Cantor, president of the plant retail and landscape company Delray Garden Center. “We were having a lot of conversations about having to water more and higher bills and people were understanding.”
He said his staff was fielding 80-plus calls a day looking for advice about how to keep plants healthy in the heat.
Now, Cantor said they are dealing with persistent rains that have dogged South Florida since before Labor Day.
The good news? Lower watering bills, Cantor said.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Last month was the second hottest August on record in Florida
