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2016 Was Florida's Second-Warmest Year -- After 2015

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A new report shows 2016 was Florida's second-warmest year on record.

The Florida Annual Climate Summary shows 2016 was the state’s second-warmest year – after 2015 – since record-keeping began in 1895.

It was much warmer than historical averages – more than two degrees warmer.

The Florida Climate Center, which prepared the report, attributes the heat to an El Nino event and warmer sea surfaces.

The hottest temperature recorded was 101 degrees in Jacksonville and Inverness in July. The coldest was 22 degrees in the Panhandle.

The year also was notable for Hurricane Matthew, the first major hurricane to menace Florida in more than a decade. Hurricane Hermine was the first to make landfall here since 2005.

Amy Green covered the environment for WMFE until 2023. Her work included the 2020 podcast DRAINED.