Miami Heat Shatters Records as Temperatures Hover in Triple Digits

Miami residents are being warned to stay indoors and avoid exertion, as temperatures in southern Florida climb to record-breaking triple digits. 

The heat index – which is what people actually feel, once humidity is combined with the air temperature – was at or above 105 degrees for eight hours on Monday, according to the University of Miami. 

As of Monday, the heat index in Miami was in excess of 105 degrees for 103 hours, in 2023. This is more than double the previous record of 49 hours, in an entire year, according to University of Miami scientist, Brian McNoldy. 

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning  for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties on Tuesday, as the high temperatures persisted. 

The warning advised residents to “drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors.” 

The temperatures in Miami are the latest in a string of climate-related records broken this summer. July was the hottest month on record, reaching average temperatures that likely hadn’t been seen in 120,000 years, according to the United Nations. 

On Tuesday, the Copernicus Climate Change Service urged the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent further increases in the planet’s temperature. 

“These records have dire consequences for both people and the planet exposed to ever more frequent and intense extreme events,” Samantha Burgess, the organization’s deputy director, said in a press release.