July was Norfolk’s hottest on record

Norfolk — Average temperatures in Norfolk in July were the hottest since records began being kept.

This year’s July average of 85.4 degrees surpassed the previous record set in 1993 — 83.4 degrees, according to Larry Brown, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Wakefield. The temperatures were recorded at Norfolk International Airport, where a station tracked temperatures since 1874.

Richmond and Williamsburg also broke records: The average July temperature in Williamsburg was 82.4 degrees, compared to the previous high in 2012 of 81.5 degrees. In Richmond, it was 82.9 degrees on average, just edging out a July 2010 average of 82.8 degrees.

The second half of the month was marked by heat advisories throughout Hampton Roads, with feels-like temperatures above 105 degrees. During that heat wave, Norfolk broke another record earlier in the month, when the fourth consecutive day of 100 degree-plus temperatures was recorded on July 22.