Summer 2021 Will Be Hotter Than Average for Much of the U.S., Meteorologists Say

Posted on : 04/05/2021
Summer 2021 Will Be Hotter Than Average for Much of the U.S., Meteorologists Say
Where to stay 

People Relaxing On Beach Against Clear Sky

Get your air conditioners and fans ready, because this summer is going to be a scorcher.

The Weather Channel has shared its first long-term outlook for the weather this summer, and it's looking like it's going to be rather toasty from coast to coast, particularly in the western and central portions of the United States.

"A hotter than average June through August is expected from the West Coast to the Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes," The Weather Channel shared in a blog post. "The northern and central Rockies into the northern and central Plains have the best chance for a hot summer."

One reason for the hotter weather, the experts said, is because of an incoming La Niña, which is a "periodic cooling of water in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean" that influences weather patterns near the U.S. and beyond throughout the year.

"If we look at summers following first-year La Niña winters, we can see a very hot signal across most of the western and northern U.S.," Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist with The Weather Company, shared in the blog post.

While a toasty summer sounds fun, it may spell disaster for our already drought-stricken nation. As Crawford noted, in early March, more than 46% of the contiguous U.S. was already classified as in drought, which will not be helped by a dry, hot summer. There is also little to no rain in sight, according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, which released its own long-range forecasts that foreshadow below-average precipitation in the Southwest and Plains through May.

One potential bright spot? The Weather Channel could always be wrong. After all, The Farmer's Almanac called for a "soggy" spring in its forecast, stating, "According to our long-range outlook, spring 2021 will be mild and wet for most parts of the country, with plenty of thunderstorms, especially over the central and eastern states during late April."

Or, maybe they'll both be right and we'll have a perfect mix of rain and sun, bringing plenty of rainbows our way. (Hey, we can hope, right?)

Source: Read Full Article