Summer 2012 vs. the rest: Comparing 90-degree days with summers past

CLEVELAND - Monday's high temperature hit 94 degrees in Cleveland and 90 degrees in Downtown Akron. It was the 19th time we've hit 90 degrees or higher during this sultry summer of 2012.

One of my Twitter friends asked me Monday if this is a record for a summer in Northern Ohio. The answer is an emphatic "No!"

I am not old enough to remember the 1940s or the 1950s. But, according to daily temperature records, summers were hot back then! Back in 1952 and 1955, Cleveland & Northern Ohio temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher 37 times during each of those 2 years. 1953 touched 90 degrees or warmer on 33 separate days; 1954 reached that mark 22 times. When you add it all up, over the course of four years (May, June, July, August, September) between 1952 & 1955, Greater Cleveland reached 90 degrees or warmer a whopping 129 times!

1988 was a year I do remember. That summer was characterized by drought and heat. During the warm season that year, we reached the 90-degree mark or higher on 35 separate days.

The 1940s also had a couple of steamy summers. In 1944, we hit 90 degrees or higher 31 separate times. In 1949, we touched that mark 27 different times. Hot summer? Yes. Historic heat? Not yet. Of course, we still have a good six weeks of summer left.

MOST 90+ DEGREE DAYS IN GREATER CLEVELAND:
1952 = 37
1955 = 37
1988 = 35
1953 = 33
1944 = 31
1949 = 27
1941 = 23
1991 = 22
1954 = 22
1995 = 20