NOAA releases hot summer outlook: Here’s the forecast for your state
(NEXSTAR) – Get your swimsuit and SPF ready. It’s looking like a hot summer for just about everyone this year.
The Climate Prediction Center’s summer outlook was released Thursday, and it shows a likelihood of above-average temperatures for nearly every part of every state in the country between June and August.
The highest likelihood for hot temps is in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s outlook. Another pocket especially likely to see a hot summer is the Northeast, as seen in the map below.
The darker the shade of orange or red on the map above indicates the likelihood of a hotter-than-average summer. The white parts of the map show equal chances of an above- or below-average summer.
No state is expected to have a cooler-than-usual summer.
The Climate Prediction Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), issues 90-day outlooks once a month. Thursday’s outlook also calls for a dry summer for most of the country.
Only the East Coast, Gulf states, southern Arizona and Alaska are predicted to have a wetter summer. The rest of the country is facing dry conditions, which is expected to worsen the drought out West.
These summer weather predictions are influenced by the ongoing La Niña climate pattern, which has been lingering an especially long time this year.
La Niña also has an impact on hurricane season. It typically weakens storms originating in the Pacific, but leads to stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic.