All those heat advisories? South Florida on track for another scorching summer

Alex Harris, Ashley Miznazi
·3 min read

This summer in South Florida is shaping up to be as sticky and swamp as usual, but not quite as record-breaking as last year — yet.

The National Weather Service has been steadily pumping out heat warnings, now issued when the heat index (the “feels like” combination of heat and humidity) is expected to be above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. And governments have been working to keep anyone outside cool and safe as temperatures climb.

“Sometimes people don’t fully take seriously the risk that this is,” said Jane Gilbert, Miami-Dade’s chief heat officer. “It can be quite serious if they’re overexposed.”

Last year, Miami-Dade partnered with the NWS’s Miami office to lower the threshold for issuing heat advisories and heat warnings. The pilot project continued this year, and starting in July, Broward County joined the experiment.

“Overall lowering the threshold causes us to have more heat advisories than we used to have,” said Barry Baxter, a meteorologist for NWS in Miami.

READ MORE: When is it too hot to be outside? A new online tool will help you plan your week

For June of 2023, the first year NWS lowered the threshold, there were five heat warnings for the month. This June, there were three days.

So far this July, there have been seven heat warnings. Baxter said we are on track for a similar July as last year, which had 26 heat warnings, but he isn’t seeing any trends stick out yet.

It’s too early to guarantee if the rest of the summer will approach last year’s record-breaking temperatures, Baxter said. However, ocean temperatures are hotter than usual earlier in the season, and nighttime temps have risen over recent decades due to climate change.

The 30-year average nighttime temperature is 75 degrees, and they’ve been running in the mid-80s this summer, Baxter said.

Communicating the heat message

Recently, Miami-Dade began declaring an official “heat season” stretching from May to October. It signals a boost in county outreach and funding efforts to help its residents stay safe during the hottest days of the year.

“Each year our response machine gets a little more well-oiled,” said Gilbert, the chief heat officer.

This year, Gilbert said the county has focused on training staffers to approach homeless people living outside and offer them water bottles, electrolytes and cooling towels, as well as encouraging people to take advantage of the county’s “cooling centers” around the county.

Miami-Dade directs residents to more than 50 of the spots around the county, usually libraries and county parks with indoor, air-conditioned community spaces.

These locations are helpful for anyone who doesn’t have reliable air conditioning in their home, or who can’t afford the higher electricity bills that come with summer AC usage in Florida.

Miami-Dade has seen a spike in emergency calls for heat-related issues this summer, Gilbert said, particularly on heat advisory days and on weekends, when more people are out and about.

Miami-Dade County’s heat season campaign, which includes bus stop posters in three languages, has already reached a million people, said county Chief Heat Officer Jane Gilbert.
Miami-Dade County’s heat season campaign, which includes bus stop posters in three languages, has already reached a million people, said county Chief Heat Officer Jane Gilbert.

That’s why the biggest push from the county this year has been communicating the risks of being outside in the heat, she said.

Miami-Dade plastered its heat safety message on busses, bus shelters (hundreds of which have had new shade features installed in recent years), digital ads at gas stations, medical offices and on the radio — all in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

The county is also making a special push for outdoor workers and pregnant women, who are more at risk of health issues from heat exposure.

“This year our messaging is in more channels and also more targeted,” Gilbert said.

For more information on free and low-cost tips to cool your home, and grants and financial assistance, check out: www.miamidade.gov/heat

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