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Last updated on Tuesday, August 2, 2011
(UNDATED) - Another record could be broken this week as Indiana continues to experience extreme heat and dryness.
Monday marked the 16th consecutive day with a high temperature of 90 or above in parts of Indiana.
The record stretch of 90-degree heat was set at 19 days during the dust bowl in 1936.
That year, the record warmth gripped much of the Midwest, causing farmers in many states to lose all their crops for years to come.
The situation isn't nearly as dire this year, but July was record-breaking in several ways.
It was the hottest month since July 1936 and the second-hottest month since weather records began in Indianapolis in 1871.
The average temperature in Indianapolis in July was 82 degrees, just shy of the July 1936 record of 82.8 degrees.
Last month also was the driest ever in Indianapolis.
While some isolated areas around the city got a little more rain during July, just 0.47 inches fell at the airport, a little more than 4 inches below normal.
The previous driest July in Indianapolis was in 1914, when 0.49 inches of rain fell.
The forecast this week calls for more heat and humidity on Monday and Tuesday, expected to mark the 16th and 17th days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees.
On Wednesday, a frontal system will dip into the region from the north, jeopardizing the streak.
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