Extreme Heat

Coral spawning just brought a wave of much-needed excitement to coral scientists working to curb the bleaching crisis.

It follows a week of extreme heat across the greater Tampa Bay region, where records for high temperatures were set.

University of Miami scientists and volunteers are planting coral fragments off of Key Biscayne to research the genetic differences that might make them more heat tolerant, as coral reefs are threatened by high ocean temperatures.

On Thursday, federal forecasters doubled the odds of an above-average hurricane season as high ocean temperatures persist.

Tampa tied a record with a high of 96 degrees on Tuesday. More of the same was due Wednesday.

Heat alerts were in effect across the entire state and a good part of deep south U.S. states from Texas to South Carolina Tuesday with heat index values up to 115 in some areas.

The forecast said there will likely be excessive heat conditions today with heat index values of 105 to 110 degrees possible.

Florida architects designing high-end houses for wealthy, climate-conscious buyers have started working cooling techniques that were once common into their contemporary designs.

University of Miami Rosenstiel scientists hoping to provide a genetic lifeline to Florida’s ailing reef are removing hundreds of colonies of healthy coral off Miami, hoping to outpace a wave of lethal bleaching spreading from the Florida Keys.

Corrections officials are attempting to alleviate sweltering conditions in Florida’s unairconditioned prisons, but inmate advocates say the efforts are falling short.

Researchers looked at 4,711 cities and saw the fingerprints of climate change in 4,019 of them for July. In the U.S., the climate effect was largest in Florida.

The average temperature in July reached 86.5 degrees, breaking the previous record of 86.3 degrees set last July.