U.S. Summer: What you should know before heading south
A look at what Summer 2019 has in store for the U.S.
Meteorological summer begins on June 1st, while the astronomical summer for 2019, will officially arrive Friday, June 21st at 11:54 AM EDT. This year, the summer forecast elaborated by The Weather Network shows some significant anomalies in terms of temperature and precipitation. These anomalies could translate into extreme events like wildfires and flooding for some regions. If you're planning on heading south this summer, here's what you need to know.
There is somewhat of a sandwich pattern with the temperature anomaly distribution across North America. Above normal temperatures are expected across much of the western edge of the continent, anywhere from Alaska, across western Canada and down into the Pacific Northwest, California and Nevada. For all these areas, hot prolonged weather episodes could mean potential for wildfires to spread rapidly, especially as the summer progresses, and vegetation abundant in some states and provinces dry up.
SEVERE WEATHER: Why do people ignore severe weather warnings?
A similar pattern is expected to affect the opposite side of the U.S., with hotter than usual weather during the summer anywhere from the southern U.S. states into New England. In this region, humidity levels are also much higher than over the west, and in some cases, potential heat waves and heat-related stress will definitely have a greater impact on the population.
A very different temperature pattern is expected to affect the north-central U.S. and the southcentral Canadian provinces. From the central and Upper Midwest into the Great Lakes, and portions of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, temperatures on average will be below normal during the summer months.
Visit our Complete Guide to Summer 2019 for tips to plan for it and much more
The predicted precipitation anomaly pattern is somewhat similar to the temperature one, with drier conditions affecting portions of western and central Canada, as well as the U.S. Pacific Northwest and much of the southeast U.S. Oregon, Washington, northern California, and a large area extending from the southern Mississippi River Valley east across Florida and north into Virginia and Delaware, should see overall drier weather conditions.
Wetter than normal conditions are expected across a large area of the U.S. which extends from the north-central Rockies, into the north-central Plains, and into the Great Lakes. In Canada, southern Ontario is also expected to see above normal rainfall.
Some of these areas, especially across the Plains, are already saturated with water from persistent spring rain and snow, so any additional rains could lead to more flooding events. As for temperatures, a cooler pattern is predicted in these areas this summer.
Among the different variables considered for this summer's weather forecast is the effect of El Niño, which serves as a background signal. It is still expected to be present in the equatorial Pacific during the summer months, and that will help amplify some of the anomalies shown on the Summer 2019 forecast maps.
