Boston records hottest 30-day stretch in history

BOSTON - Wednesday was the day we've been waiting for… cooler, a little more comfortable and finally a break from the excessive heat and humidity. Air conditioners have been working on overdrive… beaches, splash pads and community pools have been packed and if you look around, you don't have to go far to see lawns and open spaces have turned brown and crunchy. Even in the shade, it has been hard not to sweat!

Has it felt hotter than normal lately? Yup, and there is a reason for it… we are wrapping up the 'hottest' 30 day stretch on record for the city of Boston! Impressive, since records date back to 1872. 

Going into July, the city had only one 90° day in the books. Now the city, has notched 17 90° days. In August alone, 7 of the 9 days have been over 90°!

An official heat wave is when you have three days (or more) of 90° or higher in a row, but we kicked off our first heat wave July 19th and it lasted 7 days!

Our second heat wave began in many inland communities on August 2nd. Boston hit the 90s that day too but was followed up by a sea breeze the following day, restarting the potential for a heat wave on the 4th. From then on… it's like someone turned on a furnace and forgot to shut it off! Boston recorded its sixth day in a row of 90°+heat, while many inland spots recorded an eight day heatwave on Tuesday.

This is the first time in history, that Boston has had two heat waves over six days in a season!

No matter how you look at it, the heat wave that ended Tuesday for Boston was record setting for a number of reasons.

Four out of the six days in our last heat wave, the record high has either been tied or broken in Boston!

The mercury climbed into the mid to upper 90s every day, making it the second longest streak of 95° or higher on record for the city of Boston. The number one spot is seven days set back in 1944.

It's also now one of the top 10 warmest stretches on record with an average high temp the last 8 days of 94.2° (4th hottest stretch, only beaten by the 1944 heatwave).

The average high over the past three weeks was also a record 92°!

The final day of the heat wave was also was our 26th consecutive day above 80°, taking the top spot for number of consecutive days above 80° in Boston. 

The lack of rain recently, is also likely a factor into the recent extreme temperatures. It's easier for the temperatures to climb higher during drought conditions, as the ground can heat up quicker with the lack of moisture in the soil. Boston is running over nine inches below normal for rainfall this year. Since June 1st, the city has only seen 3.21" of rain! Severe drought conditions extend to nearly 60%  of the state.

While we finally saw the change in temperatures, now we're looking for the dry pattern to flip. While we have a few chances of showers in the coming days, with temperatures in the 70s to low 80s… a more unsettled pattern looks to unfold next week with the chance of a more widespread beneficial rainfall. We sure could use it. Of course, we'll continue to keep you updated on WBZ and CBS News Boston with any changes to the extended forecast.