Experts are predicting another hot summer for many parts of America this year.
According to The Washington Post, “Meteorologists are expecting above-average temperatures and rainfall in parts of the eastern and southern United States, with near-normal conditions for parts of the Plains and Intermountain West.”
The Post reports that one region that is looking “hotter and drier than normal” is the Pacific Northwest — an area that already experienced record high temperatures this spring, per the Deseret News.
What are summer weather predictions for the southwest?
Released Thursday, the NOAA outlook reports that “the highest probability of above average temperatures is across the Southwestern U.S.” — with “a 60% to 70% chance of a warmer than average summer,” per Axios.
While “Utah is projected to see 40% to 60% hotter-than-average temperatures this summer,” Axios reported.
It’s not clear yet how an unusually snow-filled winter will impact the summer weather.
What is El Niño?
Climate scientists have predicted that El Niño — “a climate pattern that temporarily warms up waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean” — will arrive this year after last taking place in 2018 to 2019, Popular Science reported.
“Each El Niño is unique in terms of how intense the warming effect gets,” Daniel Swain, UCLA climate scientist, told Popular Science. “This makes it harder for individual areas along the Pacific, like California and countries in Southeast Asia, to know how to properly prepare for upcoming storms or flooding.”
The presence of El Niño “often lead to some of the hottest years on record,” according to USA Today.