The number of days with scorching temperatures this summer has already outpaced those of 2001 by a two-to-one margin.

        And there is still a month to go, with plenty of days ahead to burn.

        Already, there have been 20 days when temperatures have soared above 90 degrees. Last year, according to the National Weather Service, the heat hit the 90-degree mark just nine times, with a high of 91.

        “That was rare,” said John Franks of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, but temperatures like those have “happened before.”

        This year's hot spell is normal, said Mr. Franks. “I wouldn't say this is unusual for any given summer.”

        Temperatures reached the 90s on two days in June, 16 in July and two so far in August. Last year, temperatures hit that mark once in June, three times in July and five times in August.

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