Summer of 2016: Third Warmest On Record In NC

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The heat this summer will go down in the record books. According to Corey Davis, an NC State University climatologist, Raleigh had its 3rd-warmest summer out of the past 130 years (dating back to 1887). The average temperature was 80.28 degrees. The only warmer summers on record were in 2010 and 2011.

Central North Carolina has seen more 90 degree days this year than any in the last three. RDU Airport has registered 64 days above 90 already since the start of 2016. That more than doubles the amount seen in 2013, when just 27 days were recorded above 90 degrees.

The Triangle is not alone. A recent report released by NOAA paints a dire picture. The stats show that the summer of 2016 is the 5th warmest on record, going back 122 years. The average summer temperature was 2 degrees above average.

Every state in the continental U.S. saw warmer than normal temperatures. And although 2016 is not yet complete, temperature data taken between January and August are coming in as the 3rd warmest on record, topped only by 2006 and 2012.