Miami, Florida

Miami is a major city located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Florida. Miami and the surrounding metropolitan area sits between the Miami River, Biscayne Bay, the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the second largest city in Florida and the county seat (and largest city) of Miami-Dade County. It is also the largest city in the South Florida metropolitan area, which is comprised of Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County making up the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States.

Geography and climate

Geography

Miami is located at {{coor dms|25|47|16|N|80|13|27|W|}} (25.787676, -80.224145){{GR|1}}.

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Miami is one of the smallest big cities in the country. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city encompasses a total area of 55.27 mi². Of that area, 35.67 sq. miles are land and 19.59 sq. miles are water. Miami is slightly smaller in land area than San Francisco and Boston.

Related Topics:
United States Census Bureau - Mi²

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Climate

Miami, and the rest of extreme southern Florida has a humid subtropical climate, very close to being a true tropical climate. The major impacting force on the weather of the Miami area is the Gulf Stream, a warm flow just off the Atlantic coast of southeast Florida which moderates the climate year round. In the summer, the day starts out being warmer than the rest of Florida - it has only been below 70 °F in the summer a few times in Miami. As the day progresses, ocean breezes and thunderstorms cool the air, and Miami tends to not have as high of a high temperature as the rest of the state in the summer. In July, lows average around 77 °F (25 °C) and highs average around 91 °F (32.7 °C). Officially, Miami's hotest temperature was recorded at 100 °F (37.8 °C) on July 21, 1942. In the winter, the Gulf Stream keeps the Arctic air masses, which sometimes affect further north in Florida, from making a big impact. However, there are rare occurrences of freezes in the Miami area. From December through April is the dry season in Miami, although it still averages 2 inches (51 mm) a month. In January, lows average around 60 °F (15.5 °C) and highs average around 76 °F (24.4 °C). The coldest recorded temperature in Miami was 27 °F (-2.8 °C) on February 3, 1917.

Related Topics:
Subtropical - Climate - Tropical - Gulf Stream - Atlantic - Summer - Temperature - July - July 21 - 1942 - December - April - Dry season - January - February 3 - 1917

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Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, although the most likely time for Florida to be hit is during the peak of the Cape Verde season which is late August through the end of September http://www.weather.com/newscenter/specialreports/hurricanes/vulnerablecities/miami.html. Because of where it is located in Florida, Miami is statistically one of the most likely places for a hurricane strike in the United States, although it did avoid much of the 2004 hurricane onslaught which impacted the rest of the state. The last time a hurricane had a direct hit on Miami was hurricane King in 1950, although many other hurricanes have affected the city, including hurricane Cleo in 1964, Betsy in 1965, Andrew in 1992, Irene in 1999, and Katrina in 2005.

Related Topics:
Hurricane - June 1 - November 30 - Cape Verde - August - September - 2004

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On January 19, 1977 Miami received its first and only ever (unofficial) recorded snowfall.

Related Topics:
January 19 - 1977

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Notable neighborhoods/areas

• Allapattah
• Bay Point Estates
• Brickell Avenue
• Design District
• Edgewater
• Government Center
• Korea Town
• Little Havana
• Little Haiti
• Omni Performing Arts District
• Overtown
• Upper East Side
• Wynwood