Our string of triple-degree days may seem unbearable but compared to last year, it's almost mild.

KTXS Chief Meteorologist, Mark Rowlett, remembers last year's heat well.  The high pressure that's currently situated over the Central Plains was an almost permanent  feature last year, which sent the mercury soaring day after day.

This year, that same feature has made a reappearance, only much later.

Hector Guerrero, from the National Weather Service in San Angelo, explains that the rain we saw earlier this year played a large part in the cooler temperatures. As the soil became saturated, plants were allowed to green-up putting moisture into the air. Moist air doesn't warm up as much so things stayed cooler.

Abilene has seen triple digit highs 18 times this year compared to the 51 in 2011.

Brownwood has reported topping the century mark 34 times in 2012, much less than the 65 of 2011.

And San Angelo has seen highs above 100 degrees 32 times so far, compared to the 65 that they saw by the end of July last year.