Summer of 2014 Could Be First in a Decade Without a Heatwave

The summer of 2014 is shaping up to be the first time in a decade the Boston area will go without an official heatwave.

So far this summer, there have been 4 days with a high temperature above 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. which covers all of eastern and central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

An official heatwave is when the temperature hits 90 or above for three days is a row or longer. None of the four days this summer combined to make a heat wave.

Last summer, there were 17 days above 90 degrees, including a heatwave that stretched nearly a week.

The last year Boston did not have an official heat wave was 2005, according to the National Weather Service.

The lack of 90 degree days puts 2014 among the coolest summers - by that measure, since records have been kept. In 1888, there was just one day above 90 degrees and in the 1990s there were two back-to-back summers with just two days above 90 degrees each summer - 1996 and 1997, according to weather service data.

2014 is tied with seven other years with 4 days above 90 degrees, the 10th least on record. The data can be seen in the attached image from the National Weather Service.

Even without the heatwave, the summer actually started out - on average - warmer than usual.

The average temperature in June and July was .7 degrees above normal for both months, according to the weather service. It wasn’t until August that the cool weather began to really be felt - 2 degrees, on average, below the normal.

There may be one last burst of summer weather during the coming week, with sunny skies forecasted for most of the week and temperatures in the 80s. There’s a chance that temperatures will go above 90, through, with Wednesday expected to be the warmest day with highs in the upper 80s.

Barry Burback, a meteorologist at WBZ-TV channel 4 in Boston, described the coming week’s weather as “some of the hottest air of the summer” with a chance that Wednesday may “perhaps produce the first 90 degree day of August and the 5th such day this summer.”

Have you enjoyed this summer’s weather? Has it be hot enough for you?