The national weather service reports Texas has just concluded the hottest summer in U.S. history. With an average of 86.8 degrees from June through August, Texas beat Oklahoma’s record of 85.2 set in 1934. Oklahoma itself also topped its previous Dust Bowl record by this year averaging 86.5 degrees within the same period. The temperature in Texas in July this summer marked the hottest month ever, while Oklahoma had the highest average temperature during the month at 89.1 degrees. The heat has resulted in the worst drought in Texas since the 1950s and the single driest year since 1895. The conditions have caused an estimated $5.2 billion in crop losses, a figure that is expected to rise. The dry weather has also helped to fuel the wildfires in Texas that this week destroyed hundreds of homes southeast of Austin.