Jeff Berardelli is WFLA’s Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Thursday morning’s weather was so tropically warm and humid that it registered the warmest May morning ever recorded in Tampa.

The thermometer never fell below 80 degrees, breaking the record for the highest minimum temperature at Tampa Airport since records have been kept in 1890.

This broke the daily record of 77 and the monthly record of 79.

It’s not coincidence, it’s climate change. A Climate Shift Index analysis (from Climate Central) on Thursday morning’s low temperatures across Florida showed that climate change made the warm temperatures at least five times more likely.

But this is not a one-day thing. An analysis by WFLA shows that around 80% of the record warm morning lows in Tampa have occurred since the year 2000.

Climate change is not only making the air warmer, but also the sea surface temperatures in the oceans and Gulf. The result of this is more humidity and warmer starts to the day, especially near the water.

Slightly lower humidity has settled into Tampa Bay for the next 48 hours, so that means low temperatures will be slightly lower and more comfortable the next two days. But the humidity and heat will return for the second half of the holiday weekend. That means daytime heat index numbers near 105.