Get your flip flops ready. It’s shaping up to be an unusually hot summer for much of the United States, forecasters said this week.
A new summer forecast map released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) casts most of the country in red or orange, with higher-than-average temperatures predicted for June, July and August. It means to be done.
NOAA said the areas most likely to experience extreme heat include large swaths of the Northeast and West.
The Weather Company also said in its forecast Thursday that much of the country is expected to experience warmer-than-average weather this summer.
Their forecaster, Todd Crawford, said there are signs in long-term models and climate trends that the summer of 2024 could be one of the hottest on record.
The two hottest summers in the United States were in 2021 and 1936, according to NOAA.
But not all forecasters believe it will be a sweltering summer. AccuWeather, which releases its summer forecast on May 1, told USA TODAY on Friday that it expects a milder-than-normal summer across the United States, with several hot spots in the Northeast and Southwest. ” he said.
El Nino is out, La Nina is in.
NOAA meteorologist Anthony Artusa told USA TODAY that El Niño’s decline and La Niña’s progression are factors in the agency’s prediction of a warmer summer. In addition to these, the long-term trend of higher-than-normal temperatures is also factored into the forecast. This is especially true in the northeastern United States, Althusa said.
Where can you find relief from the heat?
No region of the continental United States is predicted to experience below-average temperatures during the summer. According to forecast maps released by NOAA, only the far northern plains may be able to escape the unusually hot summer.
What about rainfall?
Forecasts predict a wet summer for much of the eastern seaboard, while a drier-than-average summer is expected for most of the Plains and Rocky Mountains. Combined with the heat, Althusa said drought and wildfires could worsen across the West.
