Is the climate of Miami more similar to the climate of Bangkok or to the climate of Atlanta? (hottest, recorded)

[Wildcat15]

Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex

really becas=use it says that Miami's sunniest month is July.

This may come as a shocking revelation to you, but at 26ºN there are actually more daylight hours in July than there are in April!

If you look at the very bottom there is a line that says percent possible sunshine. This will tell you how sunny each month actually is in proportion to day length.

[L.A.-Mex]

Originally Posted by G8RCAT

This may come as a shocking revelation to you, but at 26ºN there are actually more daylight hours in July than there are in April!

If you look at the very bottom there is a line that says percent possible sunshine. This will tell you how sunny each month actually is in proportion to day length.

real shocker , but still this supports my original claim that atalnta and miami are more similar, which is what i was arguing about.

[Wildcat15]

Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex

real shocker , but still this supports my original claim that atalnta and miami are more similar, which is what i was arguing about.

It supports that it is more similar to Bangkok as both have a clear peak correlating with the lowest occurrence of rainfall. Atlanta is cloudy half the time in January and the other two are much sunnier than that in the winter.

[L.A.-Mex]

Originally Posted by G8RCAT

It supports that it is more similar to Bangkok as both have a clear peak correlating with the lowest occurrence of rainfall. Atlanta is cloudy half the time in January and the other two are much sunnier than that in the winter.

but yearly sunshine hours is more comparable to Atlanta. and its actually very easy, im no expert in Southern climate but i have enough understanding of it to know that Miami's and Atlanta's sunshine patterns match receiving more in spring and summer, while getting less in winter, the opposite of Bangkok

[tommyFL]

Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex

but yearly sunshine hours is more comparable to Atlanta. and its actually very easy, im no expert in Southern climate but i have enough understanding of it to know that Miami's and Atlanta's sunshine patterns match receiving more in spring and summer, while getting less in winter, the opposite of Bangkok

You clearly haven't been to FL in the summer.

[L.A.-Mex]

Originally Posted by tommyFL

You clearly haven't been to FL in the summer.

while, yes i have. youre point is?

im not making up this data, its real, so i dont understand what is all the fuss.

[richzimme]

Just back from BKK and honestly, it's like Miami, just hotter and about the same humidity (Oct in BKK was more humid than Oct in Miami). Thunderstorms every afternoon followed on most days by continuous light rain from about 4-8pm. The rainy season in BKK from what I understand runs through the end of Oct. The dry/cooler (less hot) season in BKK (from what I've read) is Nov-Apr (or so). This BKK dry/cooler season is also considered their tourist season; somewhat consistent with Miami. From my experience, Atlanta has much more moderate and seasonal weather than we do in Miami.

[Not in Kansas any more]

I know this is an old post but I thought I would throw in my two bits.
Miami is only just tropical. It comes in at plant hardiness zone 10b. Atlanta is 7a/7b. It can snow there in winter. Any place that snows does not rate the word tropical in its climate description. You can object but tell that to your real tropical plants that cannot survive in a place with a 7a hardiness zone. Bangkok is a true equatorial climate with a plant hardiness zone of 13. Using this zone rating one would say that Miami is roughly halfway between Atlanta and Bangkok but because many tropical plants survive in Miami its greenery would be more similar to Bangkok than Atlanta.

[Klimaforscher]

Originally Posted by gravefun32

Bankgok’s climate isn’t “equatorial”. It’s Tropical Monsoon. Miami’s is Tropical Monsoon.

Only by Köppen. Trewartha has them savannah. And in the spirit of the original post, the point of this exercise is to determine the accuracy of these classifications, not simply to apply them.


At what point is a climate tropical?

An overview of the gross features of the three climates finds Miami roughly intermediate to the two others.

Atlanta: 33 North, 300m elevation, 17.0 C average temp, 1263mm yearly precipitation
Miami: 25 North, Sea level, 25.1 C average temp, 1572mm yearly precipitation
Bangkok: 13 North, Sea level, 28.6 C average temp, 1648mm yearly precipitation


Diagnostic criteria type 1: Tropical diseases

Hookworm extends into the subtropics.
Malaria once extended into the subtropics.
Chagas disease extends into the subtropics.
Leprosy extends into the subtropics.
Chikungunya extends into the subtropics.

It appears then that tropical diseases are misnamed and are a risk factor for both tropical and subtropical climates. These cannot easily be used to discriminate between those climates (but may discriminate effectively between subtropical and temperate climates).


Diagnostic criteria type 2: Tropical species

Crocodiles are mostly limited to the tropics, but extend into southern Florida.
Coral is mostly limited to the tropics, but is found around southern Florida.
Biodiversity is high in southern Florida, as in other tropical climates.


Diagnostic criteria type 3: Soil

Rainforests have a distinctive reddish (latosolic) soil composition, depending on detritus to replenish nutrients which would otherwise be washes away due to torrential downpours. According to Strahler, all three locations have the same podzolic-latosolic soils which are typical of drier tropical or subtropical regions.


Diagnostic criteria type 4: Climactic details

Equatorial climates usually have minimal variation in temperature and rainfall throughout the year.

Peripheral tropical climates experience moderate temperature variation and high variation in precipitation. Prevailing winds are from the east in summer, and the dry season is usually in winter.

Subtropical climates experience moderate or high temperature variation and any variation in precipitation. Prevailing winds commonly come from the west in winter, and the dry season is usually in summer, though winter dryness is occasionally seen.

Atlanta is dry in the summer, with a yearly temperature range over 20 C in a uniquely subtropical pattern.
Miami and Bangkok are dry in the winter, with yearly temperature ranges below 10 C (Miami) and 4 C (Bangkok) typical for peripheral tropical climates.


Conclusion

This informal review identifies the following useful characteristics for discriminating between tropical and subtropical climates, with the following indicators for a subtropical climate:

• Annual temperature range over (approximately) 15 C
• Summer dryness (except for rare cases near the equator where "summer" and "winter" are similar in temperature)
• Lower biodiversity, specifically absence of crocodiles and coral reefs

Miami exhibits none of these markers for a subtropical climate. It therefore appears to be correctly classed as tropical by standard classification systems.

[SEFLANATIVE]

Originally Posted by klimaforscher

only by köppen. Trewartha has them savannah. And in the spirit of the original post, the point of this exercise is to determine the accuracy of these classifications, not simply to apply them.


at what point is a climate tropical?

an overview of the gross features of the three climates finds miami roughly intermediate to the two others.

Atlanta: 33 north, 300m elevation, 17.0 c average temp, 1263mm yearly precipitation
miami: 25 north, sea level, 25.1 c average temp, 1572mm yearly precipitation
bangkok: 13 north, sea level, 28.6 c average temp, 1648mm yearly precipitation


diagnostic criteria type 1: Tropical diseases

hookworm extends into the subtropics.
malaria once extended into the subtropics.
chagas disease extends into the subtropics.
leprosy extends into the subtropics.
chikungunya extends into the subtropics.

It appears then that tropical diseases are misnamed and are a risk factor for both tropical and subtropical climates. These cannot easily be used to discriminate between those climates (but may discriminate effectively between subtropical and temperate climates).


diagnostic criteria type 2: Tropical species

crocodiles are mostly limited to the tropics, but extend into southern florida.
coral is mostly limited to the tropics, but is found around southern florida.
biodiversity is high in southern florida, as in other tropical climates.


diagnostic criteria type 3: Soil

rainforests have a distinctive reddish (latosolic) soil composition, depending on detritus to replenish nutrients which would otherwise be washes away due to torrential downpours. According to strahler, all three locations have the same podzolic-latosolic soils which are typical of drier tropical or subtropical regions.


diagnostic criteria type 4: Climactic details

equatorial climates usually have minimal variation in temperature and rainfall throughout the year.

Peripheral tropical climates experience moderate temperature variation and high variation in precipitation. Prevailing winds are from the east in summer, and the dry season is usually in winter.

Subtropical climates experience moderate or high temperature variation and any variation in precipitation. Prevailing winds commonly come from the west in winter, and the dry season is usually in summer, though winter dryness is occasionally seen.

Atlanta is dry in the summer, with a yearly temperature range over 20 c in a uniquely subtropical pattern.
Miami and bangkok are dry in the winter, with yearly temperature ranges below 10 c (miami) and 4 c (bangkok) typical for peripheral tropical climates.


conclusion

this informal review identifies the following useful characteristics for discriminating between tropical and subtropical climates, with the following indicators for a subtropical climate:

• annual temperature range over (approximately) 15 c
• summer dryness (except for rare cases near the equator where "summer" and "winter" are similar in temperature)
• lower biodiversity, specifically absence of crocodiles and coral reefs

miami exhibits none of these markers for a subtropical climate. It therefore appears to be correctly classed as tropical by standard classification systems.

this is a old tread so idk if anyone would ever see it but fwiw i completely agree with you miami has all the characteristics of a tropical climate and little if none of a subtropical one i was looking at data from cuba and cancun mx miami is erierly similar to these areas where as atlanta is way off in left field some where...so i would vote miami is ACCUATELY classified by koppen and trewartha as tropical