If you feel a bit like you're melting, you could be on to something. The City Different recently has been the City Sweltering.

Readings at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport indicate the city broke temperature records four times since July 10 and tied a record once, said Todd Shoemake, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque.

"This is pretty warm," Shoemake said. "We're a few degrees above our seasonal average, and it doesn't look like it will let up until the middle of next week."

The weather service this year recorded 95 degrees at the airport on July 10, breaking the previous record of 94 degrees set on that date in 2003. On July 11, the agency recorded 96 degrees at the airport, which tied a record also set in 2003.

This week, Monday's and Tuesday's highs hit 98 degrees, breaking records of 96 degrees on both those days in 2003. On Wednesday the weather service recorded a peak of 99 degrees, breaking the record of 96 degrees in 2003.

With many homes and businesses forgoing air conditioners, some folks are heading to the coolest places in town, so to speak.

Santa Fe Place Mall, for example, is experiencing a slight increase in traffic, according to Angela Daffron, senior marketing manager. "I think they're coming in to get out of the weather and checking out the stores while they're here," Daffron said.

The heat also has driven people to the Southside Branch Library. "I would say that (attendance) is definitely up," library technician Valerie Blackmer said, "and we do have a pretty good air conditioner."

Blackmer said more than 1,400 people visited the library on Wednesday, up from 1,200 on Monday and 955 on Friday.

At quite possibly the coldest indoor place in town — the Genoveva Chavez Community Center ice-skating rink — traffic is up only slightly.

It seems that Santa Feans only hit the ice when there's snow on the ground. In fact, according to rink officials, there's usually a drop-off in participation come summertime, mainly because families are heading out of town or doing outdoor activities.

While official measurements have been made at the airport southwest of the city since 2000, the recent high temperatures also beat out the historical National Weather Service temperatures recorded at a site near the Plaza from 1874 to 1972.

Our current string of above-90-degree temperatures began on July 7, and as of Wednesday afternoon had lasted nine days. That streak is not close to the record number of 27 above-90-degree days recorded at the airport from the end of June to July 26 in 2003.

It is longer than streaks from the historical site, which showed three seven-day strings in 1951, 1954 and 1958.

The current streak is unlikely to break the 2003 record though, because the Weather Service is predicting that the high pressure system that is blocking moisture from entering the state will start to move out mid to late next week, which should bring clouds and cooler temperatures, he said.

And even with the few record-breaking days, energy consumption is not above normal for summer, when people can use up to 40 percent more energy than usual, according to PNM.

"This heat wave is unusual, but it's still not extreme, even though it does feel that way," the weather service's Shoemake said.

Staff reporter John Sena contributed to this report.