Just how hot has this summer been and how will it rank against the hottest on record? The usual way is to compare the average temperatures over the three months of summer.
Using this method, our warmest summer on record was in 1988, which narrowly beat out 1936. The summer of 1988 also had the most 90-degree days at 39, compared to 38 in 1936.
However, the summer of 1936 had 10 days of at least 100 degrees, including the all-time record of 114. The summer of 1988 had four days of at least 100, peaking at 106.
This summer, there have been 16 days of at least 90 degrees and one day at 100 degrees. The summer of 2012 has not had much in the way of extreme heat compared to 1988 or 1936. The average temperature so far in 2012 does rival those two summers, but cooler weather in August will likely keep this summer's average temperature lower.
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