National Weather Service

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

Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures reached as high as 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit around the state’s southern tip in Manatee Bay — although scientists said the context for Monday’s reading is complicated.

The drones will allow them to evaluate damage in areas that are inaccessible after a storm.

The county will serve as a test case for the new heat warning levels. If they work well, the weather service may make them permanent and export them to other Florida counties.

Cost, transportation and mobility can prevent someone from taking action during weather events. While officials and community groups are working to close those gaps, human psychology is also part of the problem.

A study of several cities in Florida shows an average rise of as much as 3 degrees in the past century.

The National Weather Service reports the river had been above flood stage since Sept. 16.

Researchers have begun holding workshops after a statewide survey found widespread misunderstanding of the forecast cone that's been used for 20 years.

One said meteorologist with the National Weather Service would be "failing in our jobs if we did not use this event as an opportunity to learn and also to capture how significant and how deadly the impacts have been in this area.”

The National Weather Service's Joel Cline wants residents to know when danger is coming. But he adds, "If people think of a hurricane as a dot and a city as a dot, I think they've missed the point."

Extreme heat is the deadliest form of hazardous weather and Jacksonville will soon have data showing how the city is being affected by rising temperatures and which neighborhoods need the most help.