Hurricanes
The Atlantic Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, although hurricanes can develop beyond those dates. The most likely time for Miami to be hit is during the peak of the Cape Verde season which is mid-August through the end of September. Due to its location between two major bodies of water known for tropical activity, Miami is also statistically the most likely major city in the world to be struck by a hurricane, trailed closely by Nassau, Bahamas, and Havana, Cuba. Despite this, the city has been fortunate in not having a direct hit by a hurricane since Hurricane Cleo in 1964. However, many other hurricanes have affected the city, namely the Great Miami Hurricane in 1926, Betsy in 1965, Andrew in 1992, Irene in 1999, and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005. At least 35 direct and 26 indirect deaths in Florida were attributed to Wilma.
In addition, a tropical depression in October 2000 passed over the city, causing record rainfall and flooding. Locally, the storm is credited as the No Name Storm of 2000, though the depression went on to become Tropical Storm Leslie upon entering the Atlantic Ocean.
Hurricane, known as the "Great Miami Hurricane of 1926," caused catastrophic damage to the heavily developed Miami and Miami Beach area. Hurricane Betsy passed over Key Largo, south of the city, but did cause hurricane force winds and very heavy rainfall there. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 also struck south of city and caused extensive damage and flooding in the Homestead area suburbs. Hurricane Wilma in 2005 caused severe damage to many high-rise buildings in the downtown area as it broke many windows out, which in turn caused bad water damage on the insides of the buildings. It also caused at least 35 direct and 26 indirect fatalities in Florida.
Miami has been identified as one of three cities in the United States most vulnerable to hurricanes, mainly due to its location and it being surrounded by ocean and low-lying coastal plains, the other two cities being New Orleans and New York City.
| Climate data for Miami (MIA), 1981−2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 76.4 (24.7) |
78.1 (25.6) |
80.3 (26.8) |
83.2 (28.4) |
87.0 (30.6) |
89.5 (31.9) |
90.9 (32.7) |
91.0 (32.8) |
89.3 (31.8) |
86.2 (30.1) |
81.7 (27.6) |
77.9 (25.5) |
84.3 (29.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 59.9 (15.5) |
62.3 (16.8) |
64.9 (18.3) |
68.3 (20.2) |
72.9 (22.7) |
76.0 (24.4) |
77.3 (25.2) |
77.4 (25.2) |
76.5 (24.7) |
73.5 (23.1) |
68.1 (20.1) |
63.0 (17.2) |
70.0 (21.1) |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 1.61 (40.9) |
2.25 (57.2) |
3.00 (76.2) |
3.14 (79.8) |
5.38 (136.7) |
9.66 (245.4) |
6.50 (165.1) |
8.88 (225.6) |
9.86 (250.4) |
6.33 (160.8) |
3.26 (82.8) |
2.04 (51.8) |
61.91 (1,572.7) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.9 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 10.0 | 16.4 | 16.9 | 18.9 | 17.9 | 12.7 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 135.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 220.1 | 217.5 | 275.9 | 294.0 | 300.7 | 288.0 | 310.0 | 288.3 | 261.0 | 260.4 | 222.0 | 217.0 | 3,154.9 |
| Source #1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Hong Kong Observatory (sun only, 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
This chart shows the average coastal ocean water temperature by month in degrees Fahrenheit for Miami Beach based on historical measurements.
| January | February | March | April 1-15 | April 16-30 | May 1-15 | May 16-31 | June 1-15 | June 16-30 | July 1-15 | July 16-31 | August 1-15 | August 16-31 | September 1-15 | September 16-30 | October 1-15 | October 16-31 | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 73 | 75 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 79 | 76 | 73 |
Read more about this topic: Climate Of Miami