Waves of heat have entrapped nearly all parts of the U.S. at some point this summer. In some areas, especially those in the aptly named Sun Belt, the heat has wreaked havoc on crops, caused a decline in tourism, and led to busted water pipes. Triple-digit temperatures have even sparked a rise in air-conditioner thefts.
The Daily Beast previously catalogued which metro areas have experienced the most unprecedented heat this summer—those cities that have been hotter than normal. But for residents of Phoenix and Las Vegas, which didn’t even rank, severe summer heat is nothing new. So in honor of the remaining weeks of summer, The Daily Beast decided to recognize the cities that have survived the most consistently scorching days of anywhere in America.
To compile the list, The Daily Beast combed weather history for the nation’s 100 largest cities. Each locale was ranked based on the average monthly overall temperature and high temperature and the monthly maximum high temperature for June, July, and August (data through August 12, 2011), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service.