Heat baking Brevard with triple-digit heat index; pattern to continue on Space Coast

A tall, frosty Coke on ice might not do it.

Even with the potential for rain this week, weather officials say, the big concern will be dangerously hot, above-normal temperatures that will make it feel like 106 degrees along parts of the Space Coast.

That means staying hydrated with water and avoiding the heat of the day, weather officials warn.

"It's been very muggy and we have a lot of moisture in the area. We're going to have a persistent mugginess going into the rest of the week," said Zach Law, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

The heat index — the way the heat and humidity feel on the human skin — will range from from 102 to 106 degrees in Brevard, with the thermostat reading a summer strong 91 degrees. The average norm for temperatures at this time of year is 89 degrees. Weather officials are warning residents, many who are used to Florida’s long, muggy summers, to stay hydrated with enough water while taking breaks from the sun throughout the day, if going outside at all.

The hot weather, however, will be tempered by the afternoon pattern of rainfall typical of the summer season, weather officials report. A push of drier air from the Gulf of Mexico could roll across Florida by mid-week, Law said.

Tuesday, the afternoon showers were expected to bring between 1 to 3 inches of rain, causing flash flooding in some areas across Central Florida.

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The rain pattern will repeat itself throughout the week, with temperatures hitting the low 90s, depending on the drier air's movement across the state.

In the tropics, weather officials note a westward moving tropical wave forming near the Windward Islands packed with disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The disturbance, however, will have only a 20 percent of formation in the next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com . Or X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Heat baking Brevard with triple-digit heat index; pattern to continue on Space Coast