HOT: Summer record highs dominated by a few hot years

CLEVELAND - Yep. It's been hot this summer. But we've had hot summers before. Meteorological Summer is June, July and August. Looking back at Cleveland record high temperatures for these summer months, we see a few stand-out warm years of the past.

So far, during Meteorological Summer 2012, Greater Cleveland has set two new record highs on June 29 and July 17.

History shows us other record-setting summers of the past. During the hot, hot summer of 1988, we hit 90 degrees or higher 35 times. We set new record highs in Cleveland nine times during June, July and August of 1988, including our hottest temperature readings of the century of 104 degrees on June 25, 1988.

We also experienced hot summers during the 1940s. The years between 1941-1949 account for 29 record highs that still stand today. That's almost one third of our summertime record high temperatures. Both 1941 and 1944 set eight record-high temperatures each. Hot summers, indeed!

The decade of the 1950s follows closely behind in the record heat department for summer. Between 1952 and 1955, Cleveland set 16 record highs for June, July and August. The years 1952 and 1954 were the standout hot summers with five record highs each year.

CURRENT SUMMER RECORDS (JUNE/JULY/AUGUST) for Cleveland, Ohio:

1988 - 9 record highs
1941 - 8 record highs
1944 - 8 record highs
1954 - 5 record highs
1952 - 5 record highs
1947 - 5 record highs
1936 - 5 record highs
1953 - 4 record highs
1948 - 4 record highs