In Hirosaki in August, the 30th is midsummer day. ``Even after Neputa is over, it's still hot,'' say locals.
In August in Hirosaki, all but one day out of 31 days, the 30th was a midsummer day with a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius or higher.
On August 31st, Hirosaki recorded a maximum temperature of 36.7 degrees. This year, as the country continues to experience intense heat, Hirosaki recorded a temperature of 39.3 degrees Celsius on August 10, the highest temperature ever recorded in the area. There were 10 extremely hot days in August alone, with temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, and all of the highest temperatures in August exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, with the exception of one day on August 12, when it was 28.7 degrees Celsius.
In normal years, the minimum temperature would sometimes drop below 20 degrees, but this year in August it never fell below 20 degrees. The average temperature in August was 28 degrees, the highest average temperature ever recorded since 1976.
A man in his 50s living in Hirosaki says, ``The days when people used to say that it would be autumn after Neputa were over may be a thing of the past.This year, it's still hot even after Obon.'' On the Internet, there were comments such as ``How long will it stay hot?'' and ``It's still hot even in the evening,'' as well as posts lamenting the heat, mentioning the name of ``Japan's hottest town,'' such as ``Hirosaki is actually Kumagaya.''
