Gabe Souza / Staff Photographer

CAPTION: Six-year-old Christopher Gillies of Portland shakes off a faceful of water at the Deering Oaks splashpad in Portland on Tuesday, the same day that researchers at Cornell University reported that this has been the hottest year on record in the region so far.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center said the average temperature in the 12-state region that includes Maine was 49.9 degrees from January through July.