If you're someone who spent last month working from home without central air conditioning, or if you got outside more than usual, perhaps this July felt like a scorcher.

But while this July in southeastern coastal Connecticut was hotter than normal, it was not as hot as July of 2019.

Western Connecticut State University meteorologist Gary Lessor said at Groton-New London Airport this July, the average high was 81.9 degrees and the average low 67.3 degrees. The average of those two, 74.6 degrees, is 4 degrees hotter than normal.

Last year, the average daily temperature in July was 75.6 degrees. In both July 2019 and July 2020, Lessor said, Groton saw two days above 90 degrees.

Comparatively, he said Windsor Locks saw 20 days above 90 degrees, breaking the record of 19 set last year, and had its second-hottest July on record. Bridgeport had eight such days and its hottest July on record this year.

Those with brown lawns and wilted plants will not be surprised to hear that this year saw the driest July since 2015, Lessor said. Total rainfall throughout the month was 1.31 inches, compared to 5.53 inches last year, 4.19 in 2018, 1.5 in 2017 and 1.56 in 2016.

Dr. Craig Mittleman, emergency medicine physician at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, said the hospital saw more cases of extreme heat-related illnesses this year than last, but it's still rare so the total number of cases isn't significant. He tends to see such illness earlier in the summer, when people aren't acclimated to the heat.

"Like most illnesses, there's a spectrum of severity of illness," Mittleman said. He explained that heat-related illness can range from heat cramps most typically found in younger athletes, to dehydration and heat exhaustion, to heat stroke.

The body temperature of people with heat stroke can get up to 106 or 107 degrees and therefore be life-threatening, Mittleman said. Those most susceptible to heat stroke are the elderly, particularly if they have other medical issues.

Mittleman said some patients are on psychotropic medications that can prevent the body's ability to recognize heat. Those with heat stroke can recover with rapid recognition, cooling and hydration.

For those with milder symptoms, he called hydration "sort of the universal cure for what ails you in the summer." But he said occasionally people drink too much water, whereas those exerting themselves outside should throw in a couple of drinks with electrolytes, such as Gatorade or Powerade.

Mittleman thinks that avoiding the hospital due to COVID-19 fears is less of an issue than it was a few months ago but said volumes are not back to 100%, "so clearly the community continues to have some concern about the safety in the hospital."

But he said the natural response of people with lesser heat-related symptoms — to stop what they're doing and get out of the sun — is the appropriate response.

Mittleman thinks the pandemic has made people more eager to be outside and not in congested areas but commented, "I don't see any real particular overwhelming correlation between the COVID issue and heat stroke."

e.moser@theday.com