I saw the 5'oclock news and Greg and Mike talk about cooler air coming in Wednesday limiting high temperatures below what we have been used to. Just how much hotter was this summer compared to previous ones? I mean I remember previous summers with a couple 100+ degree days, and quite a few 90+ degree days, just no where near as many as we had this summer. Do you have like a 30 year average or something you can compare the average temperature to through September 10th so far?

MIKE MOSS SAYS:      Terry,    Using the climate records convention in which "summer" is defined as June through August, this summer came in just shy of hottest at the Raleigh-Durham airport, with an average temperature of 79.7 degrees compared to the record of 80.3 that was set in 1952. The 2007 summer average temperature was 2.8 degrees above the normal value of 76.9.

That value of 76.9 degrees is the 30-year average you were asking about, based on temperature data from 1971-2000. Looking back over this summer, we were 1.8 degrees above normal for June, July came in at .2 degrees below normal, and then we had that amazing August with 30 out of 31 days at 90 or above, and a temperature 6.9 degrees above normal.

Also, where we've now had 75 days reaching 90 or above for the year, the 30-year average for that figure is 39 days and of course as you've heard the previous RDU record was 72 in 1953.