JULY VS. AUGUST! Which month is hotter in NYC--July or August? My vote has always gone to August, but this week Gothamist disclosed that July dominates when it comes to baking the Big Apple.

Out of the eleven hottest months since 1869, August bubbles up only once! That was the summer of 1980, tied for third with 80.3 degrees.

Yet for fans of August, there may still be hope. "How about the most humid and disgusting?" asks Jen in the Comments section. To which Tien adds, "must be the humidity." I'm skeptical of figures like the wind-chill factor and the heat index, but perhaps there's good reason for those numbers after all.

Incidentally, the temperature tally skews toward months in the late 20th Century. Only three of the hot months were prior to 1951; the earliest was 1908. Take note of that if you're looking for anecdotal evidence of global warming!