Steamy days around Boston - and the world

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

June was hot – not only in Boston but around the world.

The National Climatic Data Center reports that last month was the eighth warmest on record since data collecting began in 1880. And globally, it was the ninth warmest January – June period on record.

Beach days may be in your forecast

In Boston, June temperatures averaged 70.3 degrees Fahrenheit, about 2.3 degrees warmer than long term averages, placing the month in the top 20 warmest since local record-keeping began in 1872.

And July is promising to be a scorcher. National Weather Service meteorologists say that this month’s temperature has averaged about 75 degrees so far, about 1.7 degrees above normal. Because July temperatures tend to be stable, that difference is quite significant, meteorologists say.

And that’s even before temperatures are forecast to climb into the 90s tomorrow and Saturday.

The data center, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also noted that Arctic sea ice in June ranked third lowest for June since records began in 1979. Antarctic sea ice for June 2008 was above the 1979-2000 mean, ranking as the second largest June extent.

For more information go to
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/jun/jun08.html