Miami’s relief from brutal stretch of heat was short-lived
July is shaping up to be the warmest on record in Miami. Though a 34-day hot spell subsided last week, temperatures are expected to swell again into the start of August.
“What’s happened in the last two weeks,” said one Florida boat captain, “is nothing short of a cry for help.”
On Thursday, Miami residents checked the weather and breathed a sigh of relief. After reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 34 straight days, the streak was finally over, but just barely.
Thursday’s high was 89 degrees, ending the run of 90-degree days that stretched back to June 22. But relief was short-lived — by Sunday, temperatures had jumped back up to 93 degrees, and the area is forecast to reach or exceed the 90-degree mark each day this week.
Before the streak was broken, Miami had 22 consecutive days with a heat advisory, a weather alert that warned residents to take caution due to the heat.
A couple enjoy a walk along the beach, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said this July will be the warmest on record in Miami, primarily because wind patterns have been different than usual.
“The heat in South Florida has been nothing short of impressive,” Kines said. “The main culprit for the heat has been the wind direction — most of the time it’s been westerly, which is land wind."
The abnormal wind direction means showers happen later in the day, which allows temperatures to rise into the lower to middle 90s before rain falls, Kines said. A more southerly wind usually delivers showers earlier in the day, he said, which prevents the temperature from rising too high.
Additionally, water temperatures off the immediate coast of southern Florida have been abnormally high in recent weeks, rivaling water temperatures of hot tubs.
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This summer has been consistently breaking heat records in Miami. The Miami Herald tracked the hours spent above a 105-degree heat index. A heat index of at least 105 degrees is the threshold for a heat advisory.
The Herald reported that Miami has spent 70 hours at or above that threshold — higher than any year as far back as 1950. In second place, 2020 recorded over 20 hours less, with only 49. Many of those hours were recorded in the past couple of weeks, during the streak of consecutive 90-degree days, the Herald reported.
The AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature, which takes into account more weather parameters than the heat index, has crested above the 110-degree mark in Miami on occasion during the recent hot spell.
Temperatures above 90 degrees are forecast to continue well into August with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above the actual temperature.
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