Temps 11 percent higher this year

Published 10:26 pm Tuesday, May 25, 2010

It may not be summer just yet, but temperatures might make it seem that way to some.

That’s because high temperatures haven’t held back, not even for area students to make their break for summer vacations.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Westland said the heat has increased by 11 percent in May compared to the same time period last year.

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So it’s safe to say that it is already hotter than it was last year.

Still, summer won’t officially start until 6:28 a.m. July 21.

“Summer is defined by the movement of the earth around the sun,” said Jim Westland, a Birmingham meteorologist.

“That’s how we (meteorologists) define it while astronomers have a more detailed definition.”

For Troy, the average high temperature is 86 degrees and the average low temperature is 63 degrees about this time of year.

The hottest it has been so far this year was 94 degrees on May 24, which is not nearly hot enough to break any records.