It really is that hot

Not that I''ll have to convince anybody here in Houston who has experienced the heat for themselves, but the June that just ended was the second-warmest on record. KTRK's Tim Heller explains:

With an average temperature of 85.6°, June 2009 was the second warmest on record at Bush Intercontinental Airport. It was warmer than June 1980 when the average temp was 85.1° and June 1998 when the average temp was 85.5°. By the way, the "average temperature" is a combination of the highs AND the lows. The average high temperature was 96.7°.

It's worth noting, as Heller indicates, that Houston's official temperature is recorded at an airport twenty miles north of downtown Houston. It's been that way since IAH opened in 1969, and that means that comparisons between official temperatures recorded before that year (when Houston's official weather data was recorded downtown) and temperatures recorded on or after 1969 are not exactly apples-to-oranges. Not that it matters in this case; we can all agree that it's been ridiculously hot and dry, even by June standards:

We topped 104° twice, June 24 and 26, which was the hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston during the month of June. Altogether, we had seven consecutive triple digit days, another new record.

Rainfall totaled .27" at Bush IAH, which was -5.08" below normal. June 2009 was the 4th driest on record.

But wait! Here's the best part:

Historically, when the summer starts off warm it usually stays warm. That doesn't mean we won't have some cool-ish days. But you should expect temperatures to average warmer than normal in July and August as well.

That's just great. Especially since July and August are the hottest months of the year in Houston.