Turns out Columbia really IS ‘famously hot’ – and this weather ranking proves it

You might be sporting scarves (and snow boots?) outside this week.

But let’s not forget who we are in Columbia. “Famously hot” Columbia, that is.

This data set from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proves as much.

Out of the 70 cities in the contiguous 48 states boasting the highest average of 100-plus-degree days, only two are located east of the Mississippi River.

And one of them is, you guessed it, Columbia.

Columbia has an average of 4.5 days per year when the temperature reaches 100 degrees or higher, according to NOAA. That makes Columbia the second-hottest city on the East Coast.

Only Augusta, Ga., is hotter on the East Coast, with an average of 5.1 days reaching 100 degrees or higher.

The mercury never reached 100 this year in Columbia. But the previous two years saw a whopping 38 days hit 100-plus-degrees, according to data from the National Weather Service. They were among the city’s hottest summers in recent memory.

Overall, Columbia ranks No. 66 among cities with the most 100-plus-degree days.

Yet, Columbia ranks No. 79 for highest average temperature, at 63.9 degrees.

Charleston and Beaufort have slightly hotter average temperatures (65.9 and 66.7 degrees, respectively).

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Turns out Columbia really IS ‘famously hot’ – and this weather ranking proves it."