The facts are in, gentlemen: according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), summer of 2019 was the hottest on record for the Northern Hemisphere. Temperatures rose to oppressive levels in July of that year, when a searing 90°F was recorded in Anchorage, Alaska—a place where the temperature has never registered past the upper 80s. Other parts of the country suffered as well. Washington DC saw highs of up to 97°F that same month while New York endured a sweltering heat wave that saw the cancellation of several outdoor events.
