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Weather & Science

US Is Having Its Hottest Summer Ever Based on One Energy Metric

  • Cooling degree days values are at the highest mark in 72 years
  • Texas helping drive US energy needs as summer sears consumers
Workers install infrastructure under a tent during a heatwave in Austin, Texas on July 11.

Workers install infrastructure under a tent during a heatwave in Austin, Texas on July 11.

Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg

This year is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record for the US, based on a metric that’s crucial to energy traders.

The measure is known as cooling-degree days, and it is used to track how weather affects electricity demand. The higher the number, the more fuel needs to be used to cool homes and businesses.