Summer Outlook

In a new summer forecast map released April 18 by NOAA, nearly the entire nation is enshrouded in red or orange, meaning warmer-than-average temperatures are expected for June, July and August. NOAA said areas where the unusual heat is most likely include the Northeast and a large swath of the West. The Weather Company, in a forecast also released Thursday, said warmer-than-average conditions are expected to encompass much of the country this summer.

NOAA said there are signs in long-range models and climate trends that summer 2024 could end up being one of the hottest summers on record. The two hottest summers in the U.S. were in 2021 and in 1936.

Forecasts also show that while a soggy summer could be in store for much of the Eastern Seaboard, a drier-than-average summer can be expected across most of the Plains and Rockies. Combined with the heat, that could exacerbate drought and wildfires across the West.