Although few records were broken during July, cooling energy consumption was much higher than normal due to a series of lengthy heat waves across the country. Cities that were hit the hardest include Chicago, Cleveland, and Minneapolis. The VLIc (cooling ventilation load index) in all three cities was over 40% higher than normal, resulting in much higher ventilation cooling energy consumption.
Take a look at the ASHRAE design data. In many cities, the normal annual cooling and wet bulb design hours were far exceeded during the month of July. Recall that 0.4%, 1.0%, and 2.0% design represent 35, 88, and 175 hours per year that each design condition is exceeded.