June is on the horizon and that means the start of summer across the Northern Hemisphere. Weather forecasters have been making their predictions to see whether blistering heat will once again reign as it did last year in the USA. Historic heatwaves hit California twice in one month in July 2018, followed by the state’s deadliest and devastating wildfire season on record. But elsewhere there were tornados, flooding and storms.
Now, meteorologists at Accuweather have mapped their weather predictions for this summer and the picture is looking extremely worrying.
Severe thunderstorms could cause flooding in the southern states while searing heat in the northeast could see drought conditions arriving soon.
Accuweather revealed its RealFeel Temperatures map, based on a proprietary algorithm, to show it already summer temperature wise in Florida, Alabama and parts of Georgia.
AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said: “Summer is going to make its entrance right off the bat. We’re going to have some back-and-forth weather in June, but that will get more consistent in July.”
The 2019 summer is more likely to see “more than 90-degree-and-above days” than last year, according to the weather website, “ as the mercury was kept down by “frequent precipitation”.
With the United States being so large in size, different regions will be affected by different problems.
The Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes will see little rain and potential for “minor drought conditions” in the Northeast interior.
But the picture will be wet, humid and stormy in the southeast, Tennessee Valley and Gulf Coast.
Mr Pastelok warned: “Rain and even heavy thunderstorms could lead to flooding in cities like Memphis, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas.”
Further west, “severe thunderstorms” are expected to batter Texas and Oklahoma causing possible flooding in Dallas, TX, and Tulsa, OK.
The southwest will also see some rain but Mr Pastelok said “right now, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a big monsoon season”.
The midwest and central plains will see average to below-average temperatures after the region was pounded by heavy rain and snow in recent months.
And the good news is that there may be fewer tornadoes than last year.
The northern plains may see minor drought due to lack of precipitation.
Dry conditions are also expected in the northwest and rockies, which could pose further worries about more wildfires.
“There is a lot vegetation, so the fuel is there. The question is whether it will dry out enough,” Mr Pastelok said.
The Farmers’ Almanac has also predicted sweltering heat and torrential rain for the country.
Farmers’ Almanac editor Pete Geiger wrote in a statement: “Much of our summer forecast predicts lots of rain, thunderstorms, and wetness during July and August in the Northeast and New England areas.”