Summer is here, and meteorologists predict it’s going to be a doozie.
As USA Today reports, June 1 marks the first day of meteorological summer, the kickoff of the three months that typically feel the hottest (although the calendar will technically say it’s spring until June 20). According to multiple outlooks, summer 2025 will be a scorcher.
The summer forecast calls for hotter-than-normal temperatures from coast-to-coast, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and other private forecasters. “Model guidance was overwhelmingly above normal across the U.S. and most of Alaska for the upcoming summer season,” states Johnna Infanti, meteorologist for NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
Which Regions Will Get the Worst of It?
No part of the U.S. will be spared from the hotter-than-average forecast. That’s bad news for:
- Cooling bills, which could run high this summer, AccuWeather has warned.
- Wildfires, as smoke is already causing problems with air quality.
- Extreme heat illness and death, which is deadlier than floods, tornadoes, wind storms, or hurricanes.
But where temps are forecast to be the hottest will most likely be over the West, Southwest, Florida, and New England, Infanti said.
What about Rainfall and Drought?
With La Nina still in play, an overall hotter and drier summer forecast still remains in place across a lot of the country, said DTN meteorologist John Baranick in a an online forecast.
The Northwest, Northern Rockies, and Great Plains have greater chances of below-normal precipitation, the CPC said. Drought is favored to persist or expand in these regions and in the Southwest.
The Eastern U.S. is favored to see a wetter summer, including some drought relief later in June.
Wildfire Forecast
Parts of the nation have a greater likelihood of significant wildfires, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. In June, the coastal Southeast, central Texas, the Four Corners, and parts of California and the Pacific Northwest have greater risk of fires.
In July and August, fire risk transitions to Hawaii, the Southern Plains, and parts of the Great Basin, California, and the Northwest.
However, as the nation saw in late May, fires in Canada can impact air quality down here in the U.S. AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said that fires in Canada will likely bring smoke to the northwestern and north-central U.S. through the summer, exacerbating health concerns for people susceptible to poor air quality.
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