Trewartha climate classification for Miami, FL USA?

Question

Any climate connoisseurs out here? Does anyone know, or can anyone figure out, the Trewartha climate classification for Miami?

Quick 10 points; I pick best answer fast.

Answer 1

Trewartha's system is actually based on Kopppen/s System.  

Trewartha climate classification scheme

The Trewartha climate classification scheme is a modified version of the Köppen system. It attempts to redefine the broad climatic groups in such a way as to be closer to vegetational zoning.

Group A: This the tropical climate group, defined the same as in Köppen's scheme (i.e., all 12 months average 18 °C or above). Climates with no more than two dry months (defined as having less than 60mm average precipitation, same as per Köppen) are classified Ar (instead of Köppen's Af), while others are classified Aw if the dry season is at the time of low sun/short days or As if the dry season is at the time of high sun/long days. There was no specific monsoon climate identifier in the original scheme, but Am was added later, with the same parameters as Köppen's (except that at least three months, rather than one, must have less than 60mm average precipitation).

Group B: BW and BS mean the same as in the Köppen scheme, with the Köppen BWn climate sometimes being designated BM (the M standing for "marine"). However, a different formula is used to quantify the aridity threshold: 10 X (T − 10) + 3P, with T equalling the mean annual temperature in degrees Celsius and P denoting the percentage of total precipitation received in the six high-sun months (April through September in the Northern Hemisphere and October through March in the Southern). If the precipition for a given location is less than the above formula, its climate is said to be that of a desert (BW); if it is equal to or greater than the above formula but less than twice that amount, the climate is classified as steppe (BS); and if the precipitation is more than double the value of the formula the climate is not in Group B. Unlike in Köppen's scheme, no thermal subsets exist within this group in Trewartha's, unless the Universal Thermal Scale (see below) is used.

Group C: In the Trewartha scheme this category encompasses subtropical climates only (8 or more months above 10 °C). Cs and Cw have the same meanings as they do in Köppen's scheme, but the subtropical climate with no distinct dry season is designated Cr instead of Köppen's Cf (and for Cs the average annual precipitation must be less than 890mm [35 inches] in addition to the driest summer month having less than 30mm precipitation and being less than one-third as wet as the wettest winter month).

Group D: This group represents temperate climates (4 to 7 months above 10 °C). Maritime temperate climates (most of Köppen's Cfb and Cwb climates, though some of these would fit into Trewartha's Cr and Cw respectively) are denoted DO in the Trewartha classification (although some places near the east coasts of both North America and Asia actually qualify as DO climates in Trewartha's scheme when they fit into Cfa/Cwa rather than Cfb/Cwb in Köppen's), while continental climates are represented as DCa (Köppen Dfa, Dwa, Dsa) and DCb (Köppen Dfb, Dwb, Dsb). For the continental climates, sometimes the third letter (a or b) is omitted and DC is simply used instead, and occasionally a precipitational seasonality letter is added to both the maritime and continental climates (r, w, or s, as applicable). The dividing point between the maritime and continental climates is 0 °C in the coldest month, rather than the Köppen value of −3 °C (as noted in the section on the Köppen scheme, however, some climatologists — particularly in the United States — now observe 0 °C in the coldest month as the equatorward limit of the continental climates in that scheme as well).

Group E: This represents subarctic climates, defined the same as in Köppen's scheme (1 to 3 months with average temperatures of 10 °C or above; Köppen Cfc, Dfc, Dwc, Dsc, Dfd, Dwd). In the original scheme, this group was not further divided; later, the designations EO and EC were created, with EO (maritime subarctic) signifying that the coldest month averages above −10 °C, while EC (continental subartctic or "boreal") means that at least one month has an average temperature of −10 °C or below. As in Group D, a third letter can be added to indicate seasonality of precipitation. There is no separate counterpart to the Köppen Dfd/Dwd climate in Trewartha's scheme.

Group F: This is the polar climate group, split into FT (Köppen ET) and FI (Köppen EF).

Group H: Highland climates, in which altitude plays a role in determining climate classification.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_h] Specifically, this would apply if correcting the average temperature of each month to a sea-level value using the formula of adding 5.6°C for each 1,000 meters of elevation would result in the climate fitting into a different thermal group than that into which the actual monthly temperatures place it. Sometimes G is used instead of H if the above is true and the altitude is 500 meters or higher but lower than 2,500 meters; but the G or H is placed in front of the applicable thermal letter rather than replacing it — and the second letter used reflects the corrected monthly temperatures, not the actual monthly temperatures.

Universal Thermal Scale: An option exists to include information on both the warmest and coldest months for every climate by adding a third and fourth letter, respectively. The letters used conform to the following scale:

i — severely hot: Mean monthly temperature 35 °C or higher

h — very hot: 28 to 34.9°C

a — hot: 23 to 27.9°C

b — warm: 18 to 22.9°C

l — mild: 10 to 17.9°C

k — cool: 0.1 to 9.9°C

o — cold: −9.9 to 0 °C

c — very cold: −24.9 to −10 °C

d — severely cold: −39.9 to −25 °C

e — excessively cold: −40 °C or below.

Examples of the resulting designations include Afaa for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, BWhl for Aswan, Egypt, Crhk for Dallas, Texas, DOlk for London, EClc for Arkhangelsk, Russia, and FTkd for Barrow, Alaska.

Introduced in 1928 as a wall map co-authored with student Rudolph Geiger, the Koppen system of classification was updated and modified by Koppen until his death. Since that time, it has been modified by several geographers. The most common modification of the Köppen system today is that of the late University of Wisconsin geographer Glen Trewartha.

The modified Koppen classification uses six letters to divide the world into six major climate regions, based on average annual precipitation, average monthly precipitation, and average monthly temperature.

A for Tropical Humid

B for Dry

C for Mild Mid-Latitude

D for Severe Mid-Latitude

E for Polar

H for Highland (this classification was added after Köppen created his system)

Answer 2

I'd have to say Amhb, because:

Miami is classified as a tropical monsoon climate, since all months average over 18° C and there are three months in the winter which get just under 60 mm precipitation while all other months get over 60 mm. So Am.

The hottest month averages 28.7° C and the coldest is 20° C, so that's 'hb', so Amhb.

Incidentally, Miami has the same climate as central Vietnam.