The sizzle is official. Boston suffered through the hottest June ever recorded, the National Weather Service said.
The average monthly temperature, which is calculated using the daily highs and lows, was 74.4, breaking the previous record of 73.4, set in 1976, according to weather service meteorologist Alan Dunham.
The normal average monthly temperature for June is 68.0, Dunham said. The weather service’s records go back to 1872.
The month ended with nine days of maximum temperatures over 90, including a five-day heat wave at the beginning of the month and a three-day heat wave at the end of the month that crescendoed Wednesday when thermometers smashed records by hitting 100 degrees. (A heat wave is defined as three days in a row when temperatures hit 90 or more.)
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The average number of 90-plus days for a whole meteorological summer (June, July, and August) over the years has been 10.2, forecasters said.
Worcester and Providence had their second-warmest Junes, while Hartford saw its third warmest, the weather service said.
The numbers are in for June! All climate sites fell in the top 3 warmest Junes in station history & all saw below normal precipitation. Boston had the warmest June on record & for the 3rd time in station history had a day hit 100 degrees in the month of June. #mawx #ctwx #riwx pic.twitter.com/kVnifcPfmr
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) July 1, 2021
Much cooler weather is expected in the next few days, but don’t put away those air conditioners yet. Plenty more hot days are likely ahead.
July and August are the warmest months for the Boston area, with normal average monthly temperatures of 73.0 and 71.3, respectively, forecasters said.
Martin Finucane can be reached at martin.finucane@globe.com.