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Miami Heat Wave Shatters Records: 100 Degrees Hit!
19 Aug
Summary
- Miami tied its all-time high temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A heat dome is causing widespread extreme temperatures across the Southeast.
- Human-caused climate change is linked to 80 dangerous heat days annually in Miami.
Miami reached a scorching 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, matching its all-time record high amid an expansive heat wave. This extreme weather event is driven by a persistent heat dome affecting regions from Texas to the Southeast.
The city's record, while significant, is relatively lower than other parts of the US due to its high humidity. This moisture makes it harder for solar energy to intensely heat the air, unlike in drier desert climates.
However, Miami and the broader Southeast have seen a dramatic rise in extreme heat days. Climate research indicates Miami now experiences 44 more abnormally hot summer days compared to the 1970s.
This warming trend includes a substantial increase in dangerously humid heat days, jumping from 50 in the 1970s to an projected 117 days in the current decade. Researchers attribute 80 of these dangerous days to human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels.
Miami is forecasted to remain unusually hot, with heat advisories in effect for most of the Florida Peninsula. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-to-upper 90s on Wednesday.
