Juneteenth , America's newest federal holiday, is coming on June 19. It's a holiday tied to a specific date so you won't get a three-day weekend. However, if you thought ahead and took off Friday, June 20, you might be looking forward to a four-day weekend. In Florida, it's going to be a hot day but not as hot as some other locations across the United States. Here's what you can expect.
When is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated on June 19.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation , issued Jan. 1, 1863, declared "all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." More than two years later, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, where he announced, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."
Granger's announcement was made June 19, 1865. Is Juneteenth a federal holiday?
Yes. Juneteenth is one of 11 federal holidays.
Juneteenth was made
a federal holiday by Congress and President Joe Biden in 2021.
Is Juneteenth a Florida holiday?
Juneteenth is not an official Florida state holiday . Repeated attempts to make Juneteenth an official state holiday have failed in the Florida Legislature. The
last was in 2022 .
What is Florida's forecast for Juneteenth?
For June 18 and through the following weekend, "hot conditions are forecast to continue across east central Florida, with highs in the low to mid 90s each afternoon and peak
heat indices reaching 100 to 105. While these heat indices continue to remain below heat advisory criteria, a moderate to major heat risk is forecast to persist across east central Florida," according to the National Weather Service Melbourne.
Heat index and temperature map for US, Florida
Florida to be cooler than many other US locations by end of week
By June 20, which also happens to be the
summer solstice, temperatures across many portions of the U.S. will soar into triple digits, even without factoring in the heat index, according to NOAA. Temperatures in Florida are predicted to range from 89 to 94 on June 20. In the southwestern U.S., temperatures are forecast to reach up to 112. Even in the Midwest, temperatures are expected to climb into the triple digits. Highs could hit 102 in Nebraska and 103 in Kansas.
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