Heavy Storms Posed A Major Threat To CSI: Miami's Filming Schedule

Getting a gig on a show filming in sunny Miami sounds ideal, but tropical southern Florida brings its own challenges, especially when the area is hit during hurricane season. It's still an attractive location for shows, some boasting the city in their title, like "Miami Vice" and "CSI: Miami."

"CSI: Miami" was the first of multiple "CSI" spinoffs, becoming a ratings juggernaut right out of the gate in 2002. Its premiere nabbed record numbers, providing star David Caruso, playing Lieutenant Horatio Caine, a major comeback. The actor infamously walked away from "NYPD Blue" in 1994 following tensions on the set to pursue a movie career (via Chicago Tribune).

Using the crisp blue skies of Miami as a filming location naturally led to some obstacles, at one point becoming a major threat to the show's production schedule. Stars Caruso and Adam Rodriguez, who played Det. Eric Delko, explained how the show managed to overcome some severe weather challenges during the production of some of its earlier seasons, and the reason will likely surprise longtime fans of the show.

In a February 2007 interview with reporter Julie Chen, David Caruso and Adam Rodriguez addressed that the show is filmed in Miami and Los Angeles. Rodriguez jokingly told Chen to keep the double locations a secret, but Caruso revealed a lot of the show was filmed in Miami, but weather patterns in the city can stall filming there.

"We couldn't film last year because of the weather, because of the storms, but normally we film quite a bit here, and our labs and everything are built in Los Angeles, so we're out there too, but south Florida's the place to be," Caruso said (per CBS).

Los Angeles is a convenient location for numerous productions to use, but it may come as a bit of a surprise for fans who are used to the tropical vibe of Miami. The series did have stories outside of sunny Miami. In fact, during its eighth season, one Rob Zombie-directed episode of "CSI: Miami" saw the main characters travel to L.A. to solve a gruesome murder.