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Cumulative heating degree days, since July 1

The boxes show the average cumulative heating degree days since July 1. The line shows the cumulative heating degree days so far this year. Heating degree days are a measure of the difference in temperature between 65°F and the actual average temperature for that date, when the average temperature is below 65°F. They are a way of showing how cold a particular season has been, and are often used in colder climates to estimate consumer heating demands because large heating degree days indicate cold weather (and lots of heat generation).

If the line is above the boxes, this indicates that the entire season has been cooler than average. Shorter-term cold periods are those where the slope of the line is strongly positive. Warmer periods will show a flatter, or more horizontal line.

For a Portable Document Format (pdf) document of this plot, click here (approximately 3 K).

[ cumulative heating degree days ]