Audio By Carbonatix
Forecasters will tell you rain dances and other nonscientific rituals have no effect on rain chances. But it does sometimes seem as though Mother Nature is listening, like when Miamians spent months complaining about the especially hot and dry summer, only to be doused by the rainiest September in 19 years.
Miami has experienced a dramatic fluctuation in rainfall over the past four months, transitioning from a 10-year record drought to a 19-year record for rainfall, Brian McNoldy, senior research associate at the University of Miami, tells New Times. This year’s meteorological summer, which spans the months of June, July, and August, saw about 4 inches less rain than average, while September had more than 9 inches above average, McNoldy says, noting that wide fluctuations are just a natural part of South Florida weather.
“When you look at one location, the data can be cloudy,” he tells New Times. “It’s pretty normal not to be normal.”
Summer 2025 was the driest on record since 2015, and below the average of about 27 inches. But while Miamians spent most of the summer complaining about dry conditions, summer 2025 (with about 23 inches of rain) doesn’t actually come close to the driest on record, McNoldy says. That dubious honor goes to summer 1956, which was surprisingly dry, considering Elvis Presley performed several shows at the Olympia Theater in August; there were just under 11 inches of rain that summer.
The wettest summer came in 1995, one of the most active hurricane seasons on record, when Miami got just under 40 inches of rain. While the Dolphins suffered the loss of coach Don Shula that year, Miami dodged significant damage from the 21 named storms, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Miamians also seemed to notice the lack of rain this summer, taking to social media to express their complaints in multiple posts.
Some users were quick to point out the mercurial nature of Miami’s weather, writing in a different post, “Yes, we are in a drought. Have no fear though, people will be kayaking to work in Brickell weekly soon enough.”
Come September, however, Miamians sang a different tune — and not in a frolicking, Gene-Kelly way.
September 2025 saw about 16.5 inches of rain, more than twice the average of about 7 inches, McNoldy notes. It was the wettest September since 2006, when Miami recorded 16.7 inches of rain, but below the wettest in 1960, with 24.4 inches. The driest September, in 1951, saw a mere 2 inches, McNoldy says.
While the rain no doubt nourished the many miniature jungles cropping up in the Miami cityscape, the inundation predictably annoyed motorists and those who forgot they were just complaining about such a parched summer. A post grumbling about the frequent rain seemed to resonate with many online.
Though one commenter, wary of even mentioning a hurricane, counted their good graces. “It’s better than the things which must not be named. I’ll take rain every day over having to evacuate.”
