HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- You probably noticed that it was hot in July. Happens about once every year, it seems.

But this hot -- at least from a national perspective -- was the

for the lower 48 states, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, in a report released today, said the nation's average temperature in July was 77.6 degrees. That's 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average, which NOAA says makes July the hottest month on record.

In Huntsville, however, it was even hotter than that. But it still wasn't a record. In fact, it was even hotter in July 2010 than it was last month.

According to records from the

the average temperature in July was 83 degrees. That's the eighth-hottest month on record.

Two years ago, it was 83.7 degrees in July -- which tied July 1966 for the second-hottest month on record.

The hottest month was July 1930 when the average temperature was 83.9 degrees. Huntsville hit a record temperature of 111 degrees that month.

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