The heat is on and it will only get hotter is the most obvious summer thing you can say in Illinois, but what towns will be the hottest? There is data and science that has declared the 20 most scorching hot cities in the Land of Lincoln.

There is no better way in my opinion to rank places in a state for heat than their average temperature measured over a full year. I asked the data crunching website USA.com to tell me the 20 hottest Illinois places and this is the result.

1. 67.93°F Olive Branch, IL / 719
2. 67.89°F Miller City, IL
3. 67.87°F Pulaski, IL / 172
4. 67.86°F Olmsted, IL / 475
5. 67.85°F Unity, IL
6. 67.84°F Villa Ridge, IL
7. 67.84°F Cairo, IL / 2,688
8. 67.84°F Thebes, IL / 593
9. 67.84°F Mcclure, IL / 348
10. 67.83°F East Cape Girardeau, IL / 672
11. 67.82°F Mound City, IL / 603
12. 67.81°F Mounds, IL / 1,225
13. 67.74°F Ullin, IL / 473
14. 67.74°F Tamms, IL / 739
15. 67.73°F Brookport, IL / 924
16. 67.72°F Mill Creek, IL / 48
17. 67.72°F Millcreek, IL
18. 67.71°F Golconda, IL / 822
19. 67.70°F Metropolis, IL / 6,466
20. 67.69°F Perks, IL

I find it interesting (and really not surprising) that Olive Branch, Illinois would have the highest average temperature since it is located so far south in the state that it's almost Kentucky. Further south = Hotter = Science

One reason I chose the average temp for the entire year and not just summer is due to the fact that a somewhat milder winter is a plus in my book. Well done, Olive Branch, Illinois. You might want to make sure your air conditioning units are in good shape soon.

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