Miami experienced record-cold temperatures around 35 degrees on Sunday, Feb. 1 — the coldest recorded in 117 years — revealing problems with Mahoney-Pearson Residential College’s heating system.
After hitting record-high temperatures for the month of January early last week, Miami experienced a sudden shift to winter-like conditions on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 27 around 40 degrees.
Students residing in Mahoney-Pearson reported heating related issues inside their rooms as a result of the cold temperatures on Sunday, Feb. 1. Although the heat was turned on inside the building, temperatures fluctuated in each room with some becoming extremely hot or cold.
“We came back to our room today and it felt like we stepped into a sauna,” said Carter Gibbs, a first-year student residing in Pearson. “We heard about the issue but thought we were spared until our room randomly started blasting hot air. When we checked the thermostat it was 86 degrees.”
Some students reported sleeping with their doors open as a result of the heat while others piled on blankets to stay warm.
“We called facilities and after over 20 minutes on hold finally spoke to someone who said they would send a technician,” Gibbs said. “No one came so we called again, and received the same response, and still no help.”
One TikTok video posted by @adam_mager, a student living in Mahoney-Pearson, shows a thermostat reading 91 degrees with the text, “Umiami pls come fix the thermostat.”
The shift follows a powerful winter storm that hit several states in the eastern part of the U.S. last week, and brought frigid temperatures, power outages, flight cancellations and over a foot of snow to several states.
Along with heating issues, the sudden change left many students underdressed and unprepared for the cold.
“Thank goodness it’s not as cold as back home, but since I’m from more north I don’t have suitable clothes for this,” said sophomore Krystal Ramdihol who is from New Jersey.
In preparation for the cold weather, the University of Miami’s Housing and Residential Life sent out an email to students on how to stay warm and comfortable in their buildings.
One dorm on campus, Eaton Residential College, does not have a built-in heating system.
“While Eaton does not have a built-in heating system, facilities will adjust building operations to help minimize cooling and maintain a comfortable indoor temperature during the colder weather,” Housing and Residential Life said in an email. “We have placed heaters in the corridors of the second, third, and fourth floors of the building to help warm the common areas.”
The University also sent an email to University Village and Lakeside Village residents on how to turn on the heat in their rooms, but noted that space heaters and portable heaters are not permitted inside any University building.
While temperatures are expected to rise later this week, the cold snap serves as a reminder to students that South Florida’s weather is unpredictable, even in the winter.