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Miami doesn't have to be in the tropics for it to be tropical climate. Places like Quito and La Paz are in the tropics, yet they are not considered tropical climates due to topographical reasons. You can't determine a tropical climate by solely being in between the tropic of cancer and capricorn. if anything your reasoning is more flawed than koppens.
Miami can grow plants that subtropical cities can't. Just looking at the vegetation alone, you can tell Miami is tropical. It has more in common vegetation-wise with tropical cities than with subtropical ones.
Furthermore, if Miami's cold spells were as frequent as you're claiming, wouldn't it affect Miami's average lows, that make it tropical by the Koppen system in the first place?
And, Miami gets its weather info from the international airport, which is fairly inner, and from the readings, its still tropical by most climate classifications.
Hong Kong gets way colder than Miami during the winter. You like to bring up the fact of how HK is affected by the tundra. Well guess what? Miami is too, and it's still considered tropical despite that.
South Texas and Miami should be compared. Please, don't insult Miami like that. Miami doesn't struggle to grow coconut palms (an indicator of a tropical climate). Miami as never a series of cold spells as South Texas had about 2 years ago. South Texas were getting highs in the 40s for some days, and you're comparing them to Miami?!?!?!? You shouldn't be taken seriously.
And no, Puerto Rico isn't that much more tropical than Miami. Sorry.
MUCH of Miami's tropical vegetation was IMPORTED from tropical places. Yes, I CAN compare South Texas and Miami- they are both seal level and the SAME latitude. MOST of what you see in Miami is PLANTED there are imported from tropical places. In San Juan coconut palms grow like weeds, FULL HEIGHT, AND FAR GREENER. They THRIVE. And breadfruit and lipstick plams are everyhwere.
The inner city of Miami ( 20's) and South Texas is really how South Florida and THAT LATITUDE- SHOULD BE.
The latitude of 26 is NOT tropical. The Gulf Stream makes Miami BEACH warmer than it should be, but it still is cold.
MIami is NOT tropical and San Juan beats it by MILES. IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE.
The Gulf Stream does not matter , nor does it make Miami OR Bermuda tropical . They BOTH are ABOVE the Tropic of Cancer and they BOTH have that VERY ORDINARY temperate zone look and NON tropical sunlight.
TROPICAL SUNLIGHT intensity is what ALL tropical places have. SPECTACULAR brightness and beauty is what all tropical places have.
On wikipedia, average lows for Miami and Hong Kong respectively:
Jan 59.2 | 57.4
Feb 60.4 | 57.9
Mar 64.2 | 62.4
Apr 67.8 | 69.1
May 72.1 | 75.0
Jun 75.0 | 79.0
Jul 76.3 | 80.1
Aug 76.6 | 79.5
Sept 75.9 | 78.1
Oct 72.1 | 74.1
Nov 66.7 | 66.9
Dec 61.5 | 60.3
weather.com average lows for Miami and Hong Kong respectively:
Jan 61 | 47
Feb 63 | 47
Mar 65 | 52
Apr 69 | 59
May 74 | 68
Jun 77 | 73
Jul 78 | 74
Aug 79 | 75
Sept 78 | 72
Oct 75 | 66
Nov 70 | 56
Dec 64 | 49
Both links shows that Miami (on average) has higher lows than Hong Kong in the winter. Miami is a tropical climate period. Hong Kong gets to cold in the winter. I don't what disadvantages it has. It reaches 40 degree temperature three months and 50 degrees another 3 months. Miami doesn't reach below 60 degrees once.
Miami also has better tropical vegetation. Can Hong Kong even grow matured coconuts? Hong Kong climate is similar to areas like Brisbane, Sao Paulo of those types. It isn't on Miami's level.
Miami can grown breadfruit. It's in a 10b plant hardiness zone. breadfruit can be grown from 10. Same with lipstick palms.
Breadfruit and lipstick palms die from the cold snaps. They can only grow unprotected in the US in Hawaii. These trees are even more sensitive than coconut palms.
If Miami's cold snaps were not rare, Miami wouldn't be classified as a Aw or Am by Koppen or by Trewartha's corollary. claiming miami cold snaps being rare is not only absurd, but also oxymoronic.
and yes, hong kong goes below 50 for 3 months, and 60 for another 3. how is it more stable again? lowest temp recorded for HK: 32 F, lowest for miami: 27 F. big deal.
by the way, heres a link claiming that breadfruit would flourish in south florida:
and yes, PR is tropical, but so is miami, florida. you must have a personal vendetta with someone from miami?... or did you get rejected by the chicas on miami beach?...or did they run your pockets over there in little haiti?
hong kong has very nice vegetation for a subtropical climate, but miami is in a different league climatically.
Notice, it says in PROTECTED areas of south Florida. It can't truly thrive there. Most breadfruits in south Florida, if not all, perished in the 2010 freeze event.
Honolulu and Hilo get my vote. I do agree with Rick Santos that Miami isn't tropical, but I also agree it isn't subtropical. I'd say South FL (including the Keys) is semi-tropical, or transitional. The cold snaps, while brief, still happen, and no true tropical climate ever gets those. However, Rick is wrong in saying that Miami is "cold" in winter. Sure, some days are chilly, but never cold! That's why people from all over the US go to snowbird there.
Notice, it says in PROTECTED areas of south Florida. It can't truly thrive there. Most breadfruits in south Florida, if not all, perished in the 2010 freeze event.
I have been to all the places mentioned on this string of comments. If you want bigger cities its miami,honolulu, San Juan. That's as close as you can get. If your rich enough the hawaiian islands are best other then oahu.
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