Miami has just broken one of its oldest heat records: the thermometer reached 96°F (35.6°C) last Friday, surpassing a daily record that had stood since 1909, as Florida remains caught in a prolonged wave of extreme temperatures that threatens to extend over the coming days.
The National Weather Service of Miami confirmed that the 96°F (35.6°C) recorded on Friday set a new high record for that date, surpassing the 95°F (35°C) reached over a century ago, in 1909.
The record did not come as an isolated incident. The Florida State Surveillance Office warned this Sunday that a strong high-pressure area remains anchored over the southern United States and has been maintaining a prolonged heat wave for several days, with temperatures above normal and a dangerous combination of heat and humidity across nearly the entire state.
For this Sunday, for example, the temperature sensations could reach or exceed 108°F (42.2°C) in areas under heat advisories.
In the northeast of Florida and the Panhandle, temperatures could reach as high as 110°F (43.3°C). Authorities warned that the situation is likely to persist throughout the upcoming work week.
In South Florida, the heat is additionally combined with the arrival of a Saharan air mass, which brings dry air to middle levels of the atmosphere and reduces the chances of rain.
For much of the peninsula, the chances of precipitation remain below 30% this Sunday, limiting one of the few natural reliefs against the high temperatures for now.
CBS Miami had already warned on Saturday that the combination of humidity and actual temperatures above 90°F (32.2°C) would result in heat indices exceeding 100°F (37.8°C) from Pompano Beach to Key West.
The media also noted that the heat and dry conditions could persist until midweek.
The situation has been building up for weeks. At the beginning of August, Miami-Dade and Broward were already facing heat indices exceeding 105°F (40.6°C), while authorities kept cooling centers available to protect especially the elderly, young children, individuals with chronic illnesses, and workers exposed to long hours outdoors.
Extreme heat didn't start in August either. In May, Miami and Fort Lauderdale had already approached historical records for that time of year, with temperatures ranging from four to eight degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 to 4.4 degrees Celsius) above the usual averages during that episode.
Florida has recorded other striking milestones in recent years. In July 2025, Tampa reached 100°F (37.8°C) for the first time in its history, an all-time record since the city’s weather records began in 1890.
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