Publication Date July 31, 2017 | WXshift News

Miami Just Had Its Hottest Month on Record

United States
Photo: WXshift News
Photo: WXshift News

Summers in Miami are always hot and humid, but this summer has been one for the record books. July was the hottest month ever recorded for the city, with temperature archives going back to 1896, and capped off what has been the hottest year-to-date.

Every day except July 31 saw a high temperature at or above 90°F (32°C), and nighttime low temperatures have also been exceptionally warm. Miami, like other cities in the U.S., has seen more such days over the past few decades, thanks in part to the rise in global temperatures fueled by ever-increasing levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The trends show that global warming has a significant impact even in already warm places like South Florida.

July in Miami was not only the warmest July, with an average temperature 0.8°F (0.4°C) above average, but the hottest month overall. It beat out the previous hottest month, June 2010, by 0.4°F (0.2°C).

It’s not surprising that a summer month would be the hottest, but it’s still noteworthy that July “beat all the other summer months” in records going back more than 100 years, Brian McNoldy a meteorologist and hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, said.

The record-hot July was fueled by both exceptional daytime highs and sweltering nighttime lows.

Through Sunday, Miami had 41 straight days with highs of 90°F or higher, the second-longest such streak on record (the longest was 44 days). Cloudy weather courtesy of Tropical Storm Emily was likely to keep Monday’s temperature well below 90.