Friday goes into the book as the 13th consecutive day of consecutive 90 degree weather. The record is 19 days. July 2011 goes down in history at Indianapolis as the hottest month since July 1936 and among the four hottest months since weather records began in 1871. During the summer of 1936, the Midwest and much of the nation was in the middle of the epic Dust Bowl. In fact, August 1936 is ALSO in the top 10 of months with highest average temperatures.
An upper air ridge has prevailed over the central United States this summer as a result of severe to exceptional drought conditions in much of New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Not only has this ridge contributed to the heat wave, but it has also deflected storms from much of central Indiana during July.
As of the 27th, the airport had received only 0.33 inches of rain. This was nearly 4 inches below the monthly normal rainfall for July. Depending on the amount of rainfall during the next few days, July 2011 may also go into history as the driest July on record in Indy.
Never miss me! Subscribe for free. My Huge Radar has real-time weather tracking, current temperatures, and severe weather watches and warnings. Get detailed Indiana conditions by clicking here. Click here to see my central Indiana 7-Day Forecast. Follow these links to get my forecasts for Lafayette, Muncie, Hendricks County, and Hamilton County. Need a second opinion? Click here for central Indiana National Weather Service forecasts. (Some charts via WeatherBELL.)