U.S. Forecase For Next 3 Months: Hot, Hot, Hot
Doyle Rice, USA Today
"That's the real issue," said Sam Albanese, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Anchorage office.
"A degree or two isn't really that big of a concern. But if it's hot and dry, then your fire danger goes way up," said Albanese, who had not taken part in the climate center findings.
The report did not say how significant a rise may occur. But the Midwest can expect normal temperatures, the report said, and no part of the nation is expected to be cooler than average this summer. The warmest weather is likely in the Desert Southwest, it said.
The prediction comes after the USA experienced its fifth-warmest spring on record: 2.5 degrees above normal.
Adding to possible wildfire woes is that no rainfall relief is in sight for California or Nevada, which just endured their driest June to May on record, the report said.
The forecasters said that ample soil moisture from recent rains is what should help keep temperatures close to their average in Central USA and the Great Plains.
Above-average rainfall is forecast in coastal areas of the East and Gulf Coasts for the late summer and early fall, according to the report. That could be good news for the Southeast, which is enduring its driest year on record.
One finding in Thursday's report was the lack of a La Niña climate pattern developing in the Pacific Ocean. La Niña is a periodic cooling of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
The lack of a La Niña has been cited as an indication of diminished hurricane activity in the Atlantic. U.S. forecasters in May had predicted an unusually active hurricane season; but British forecasters predicted early this week that they foresee a quieter than normal hurricane season.
Contributing: Alan Gomez