This is a topical question indeed, since the National Weather Service recently reported that July's average temperature of 96.2 degrees was the highest of any month since record keeping began in 1937. The previous record, set in July 2007, was 95.4. Although no daytime records were broken this year, it was the elevated nighttime temperatures (85.7 was the average low temperature for the month!) that made life miserable but broke the record. Every single day this July had a daytime temperature in triple digits, which began back on June 23 and lasted until yesterday, when the official high temperature reached only 99 degrees, ending a 45-day streak of 100-degree-or-higher temperatures.
This was only the third-longest such streak on record, however. The most consecutive days in which temperatures hit at least 100 degrees stands at 66 days, from June 27 through Aug. 31, 1944, according to a spokeseman for the National Weather Service.
The hottest days ever on record were July 24, 1942 and July 19, 2005, when it hit 117° F (47° C). The most 100-degree days on record was in 1947, with a staggering 100 triple-digit days; the least was in 1965, with just 44. However, in 1947 the most average 100-degree days per month was 14, as opposed to 31 in both 2010 and 1985.
Las Vegas is not on the list for the 10 hottest U.S. cities; however, we do make the list for 10 driest (#2), 10 sunniest (also #2), and 10 least humid (#1).
