August 2007 was officially the hottest month ever in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area (dating back to at least 1887 when record-keeping began). The average temperature was 84.1 F (6.9 F above normal). The previous hottest month was July 1993 (82.5 F), and the previous hottest August was in 1995 (80.6 F). The high temperature set a record on 13 days and tied the record on 7. The record high of 105 F at RDU airport was tied (August 21), and the all time record warmest low of 78 F was tied (August 9).
30 days in August (all but one day) were 90+ F, the most days that hot in any month (there were 25 such days in July 2005). 20 of those days were consecutive (August 12-31).
To add to the misery, August 2007 was the second driest August on record: only 0.91" (2.87" below average). The driest August at RDU since 1944 (when record keeping began there) was in 1950 (0.81").