According to David Thomas, climate program meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Buffalo, this summer was tied for second warmest on record.

While temperatures were not entirely consistent, the hot spurts were definitely felt through the area. Throughout the summer, from June to September, there were 10 days with temperatures at about 90 degrees.

“The pinnacle of the heat wave was early in July, when the temperature soared to 98 and 97 degrees,” Thomas said. “These values were tied in second and fourth for being the warmest temperatures measured in 150 years worth of records at Buffalo.”

These high temps have made for fun beach days for families and cool nights out for ice cream lovers.

Photo by Natasha Matteliano

In June, the average temperature was almost a degree higher compared to last year. “The first half of the month averaged just over a degree below normal, while the last 2 weeks averaged more than 3 degrees above normal,” Thomas said. “Above normal temperature days outweighed below normal temperature days, … temperatures were not extreme for

the month.”

July, breaking records in many ways, broke the warmest all-time monthly temperature record. This was because the temperature averaged 77.6 degrees, 1.4 degrees higher than the previous warmest July on record. It also broke the record for warmest low temperature. “There has never been a month before that failed to dip to at least 62 degrees on record,” Thomas said. July never dipped below 63 degrees.

“Summer’s heat continued through the month of August, with the month finishing 5th warmest on record,” Thomas said. “There was one day that reached 90 degrees, the 13. This was the fourth month in a row with a temperature reading in the 90s.”

Along with one 90 degree day in August, there were 23 days that topped the 80 degree mark. According to Thomas, this total came out to eight more days than normal that are above 80 degrees.

This summer also accounted for a total of 26 thunderstorms. Some of these were more severe than others, especially in July, which accounted for 11 of the storms. Finishing off the summer came September, which seemed to be cooler than other years. The highest temperature in September was 86 degrees, which was one degree higher than last year, but the lowest for September was 38 degrees, compared to last year’s 49.

Thomas reported that in all, summer of 2020 was a hot one that finished off strong in August. Now, everyone must prepare for the dreaded snowflakes while they enjoy the cooler temperatures and falling leaves that autumn has to offer.