90 degrees or above over the last six years.
| June | July | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7 | 4 |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 |
| 2020 | 5 | 16 |
| 2019 | 3 | 11 |
| 2018 | 4 | 7 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 |
“So yes, it’s warmer than last year, but it’s not even warmer than 2020,” said James Gibson, a meteorologist who works at the National Weather Service branch in Wilmington.
The summer of 2020 included five 90-degree days in June and 16 in July. The average temperature for July 2020 was 89.1 degrees, about four degrees higher than this July’s 85.3.
Here are the average high temperatures over the last six years.
| June | July | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 84.6 | 85.3 |
| 2021 | 83.1 | 84 |
| 2020 | 84.1 | 89.1 |
| 2019 | 80.5 | 87.3 |
| 2018 | 82.5 | 83.8 |
| 2017 | 81.1 | 83.4 |
The summer’s peak heat rests at an average of 76 degrees, which lasts from June 29 and goes until Aug. 3 before cooling off. Gibson said that August has a 60 to 70 percent chance to be warmer than normal.
What sets this summer apart is rising humidity, which pushes the heat index higher than the recorded temperatures.
June was a drier month than normal, with 2.64 inches of rainfall compared to the month’s usual 4.14. July more than made up for it, with 6 inches of precipitation. Gibson said this year as a whole has been significantly wetter, with the area at 29.3 inches of rain so far this year, 3.13 inches more than the usual rainfall for this time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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