Summer 2026 Was Walt Disney World's Hottest in Years, NWS Confirms

If you visited Walt Disney World this summer and came home convinced it was hotter than usual, the numbers back you up. The National Weather Service in Melbourne just released its summer 2026 recap, and Orlando had its second warmest summer on record.

Records at Orlando go back to 1892. This past summer averaged 84.5 degrees, 2.3 degrees above normal. That's the second highest summer average in over 130 years of record keeping.

Photo: NWS MelbourneWalt Disney World's Record-Warm Summer 2026

The Numbers Behind the Heat

Orlando wasn't alone. Every site the Weather Service tracks in east central Florida ran above normal this summer:

• Orlando: 84.5°, +2.3° above normal, 2nd warmest on record
• Sanford: 84.1°, +1.1° above normal, 4th warmest (tied with 2024)
• Melbourne: 83.1°, +1.7° above normal, 7th warmest (tied with 2023)
• Daytona Beach: 82.7°, +1.4° above normal, 7th warmest
• Leesburg: 83.6°, +0.9° above normal, 7th warmest
• Vero Beach: 82.5°, +1.0° above normal, 9th warmest
• Fort Pierce: 82.2°, +1.2° above normal, 14th warmest

Across the board, average temperatures ran 1 to 2 degrees above normal for the season. That might not sound like much on paper, but stacked day after day through June, July, and August, it added up to a summer that felt noticeably hotter for anyone spending long days in the parks.

Less Rain to Cool Things Down

Normally, Florida's summer storms offer some relief from the heat each afternoon. This summer, that relief showed up less often. Orlando's rainfall came in at 16.82 inches, a shortfall of 6.38 inches from normal.

Photo: NWS MelbourneWalt Disney World's Record-Warm Summer 2026

Fewer storms mean fewer breaks from the heat during the hottest part of the day. That's part of why the season felt so relentless. With less cloud cover and fewer afternoon downpours, the sun had more time to heat things up, and the heat had fewer chances to break.

Not every location was as dry. Fort Pierce actually had its 10th wettest summer on record, and Vero Beach and Sanford also finished above normal for rainfall. But around Walt Disney World, in the Orlando area, the pattern leaned hot and dry rather than hot and stormy.