As students head back to school this week, they leave behind a summer that really set some records.  This summer was the driest ever recorded for Boston and the surrounding area, including Hingham.  During the summer, from the start of June to the end of August, only 3.92 inches of rain fell.

The lack of rain resulted in the worst drought in more than a decade for Massachusetts.  Hingham residents were urged to limit their water usage, specifically on their lawns and other outdoor areas.  Many students note that this led to dry, brown grass, even on some of the athletic fields at Hingham High School.

Additionally, although the entire summer was not the hottest recorded, the month of August itself was the hottest August recorded since the National Weather Service began collecting records in 1872.  The average daily temperature was a very warm 76.4 degrees.  Many days reached over 90 degrees.  The hottest stretch for the month came in the middle, in the week of the 11^th-15^th.

A severely hot August was not optimal for the preseason of many fall sports.  Senior and varsity member of the field hockey team, Angela White, recalls that, during the field hockey tryouts, the heat “made her feel as though [she] was going to faint”.  Many athletes also similarly found the experience to be unpleasant.

However, the summer of a record drought and record heat has come to a close for Hingham students.  They return to the classroom this week for a new school year.  Luckily, many teachers have large fans that can give students relief from the heat in these first few weeks.