If the 2015 Summer seemed unusually pleasant, that’s because it was!
Meteorological summer (June through August) ended with no major heat waves, little in the way of consistently unbearable humidity, and precipitation that was well-timed and well-proportioned. Indeed, it was a relatively comfortable, inoffensive summer.
Using the new Summer Glory Index (SGI), the summer of 2015 earned 2139.6 points, good enough for third place on the all-time list back to 1903. Only 1922 and 2008 earned higher scores.
The summer started off strong, with the finest June score on record, but then lost some ground in mid-summer, as warmer and more humid weather set in. The ranking dropped to #12 all-time on August 16th, but a return to stellar conditions during the last part of the month propelled summer 2015 back into the top 10, and finally back to #3 for the last two days of the month. The table below compares the final and monthly totals for 2015 with the best and worst on record:
| June | July | August | Final | |
| 2015 Score | 905.5 | 519.6 | 714.5 | 2139.6 |
| 2015 Rank | 1 | 62 | 20 | 3 |
| Highest score (year) | 905.5 (2015) | 957.5 (2009) | 892.5 (1919) | 2184.5 (1922) |
| Lowest (year) | 56 (1933) | -241 (1936) | 37.5 (1947) | 817.8 (1936) |
The index is based on measurements at MSP, which has a long digital record of dew point going back to the early 20th century.
Last modified: September 8, 2015