July was the hottest month ever recorded in Burlington, Vermont, according to records from the local office of the National Weather Service.
The month's mean temperature — taking into account all highs and lows — was 76 degrees. That tops the previous record of 75.3 degrees set in July of 1921.
Scott Whittier, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Burlington, said the month started off extremely hot and humid.
"You combine the heat and humidity, and you get what you call the heat index," Whittier explained. "And the heat index values were over 100 — some approaching 110, which has never occurred. Those type of values are very dangerous to all people."
Scott Whittier spoke to VPR's Henry Epp. Listen to their full conversation above.
As we close the book on July 2018 here's an easy way to describe it, the single hottest month in Burlington, VT history back to 1892. Here's more on the stats and records from July. #vtwx #nywx pic.twitter.com/1db3I19ycR
— NWS Burlington (@NWSBurlington) August 1, 2018
Many of the heat records broken last month went back decades. Whittier said the heat is, in part, attributable to climate change.
“Just over the last eight, nine, 10 years easily, and maybe up to 20 years, we have seen the temperatures across the Champlain Valley increase,” he said. “And in the summer, especially in July, they’ve been up maybe an average of 2 to 3 degrees warmer than previous 30-year records.”
Whittier said temperatures could remain above normal through September and October. However, he said it's doubtful the region will see a repeat of last year's heat wave that hit in late September.
