Summer 2016, 2nd warmest on record!

Lost in the build up over Hermine over the past week or so was the fact that the final numbers on the summer of 2016 came in. Yes I know it's still summer until the Fall Equinox hits on September 22nd but in the world of meteorology, summer is defined by the 3 months of June, July & August.

It's probably no surprise to you that his past "summer" was warm & dry...but the final numbers may still shock you a bit. Would you believe it was the 2nd hottest summer on record in the Providence area?

June was not overly hot, we didn't record a single day with a temperature of 90 or higher, but it sure was dry. Here's how the numbers break down:

JUNE: Avg temp: 68.8 (+0.8) Total rain: 1.05" (-2.59")

July brought heat waves, 9 days reaching 90 or higher! But it also featured a bit more rain...hard to remember when it rained, but heavy showers & storms on the 23rd & 24th brought almost half of the monthly rain total:

JULY: Avg temp: 76.0 (+2.4) Total rain: 3.95" (+0.66")

The heat continued into August, as drought conditions worsened. 5 days reached or exceeded 90 and although we DID get some rain it wasn't nearly enough. Drought emergencies were declared across New England and they still are in effect today.:

AUGUST: Avg temp: 76.0 (+3.7) Total Rain: 2.71" (-0.89")

The final number s look like this:

SUMMER 2016: Avg temp: 73.7 (+2.4) 2nd warmest all time (Summer 2010 avg temp: 73.9 warmest all-time) Total rain: 7.71" (-2.82") 22nd driest out of 85 years on record