Here Are Your Chances of a Hotter-Than-Normal Summer

As June approaches, many of you are whipping out your bathing suits and stocking up on sunscreen. But before you run to the beach, make sure you check the weather forecast, because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a significant chance of higher-than-normal summer temperatures across almost the entire country.

Now, they aren't saying that we are going to have record high temperatures. Instead, NOAA used past weather data to create a map showing that the majority of America will likely be hotter than the average in years past:

Their semi-functional, experimental interactive map shows that New York's average max temperature is usually in the mid-80s, but this year there is at least a 55 percent chance that the number will go up. Miami, Houston, El Paso, and Boston also received high predictions that their summers will be hotter than normal. And Seattle, LA, and Atlanta have a 48 percent chance of exceeding average temperatures this summer.

Even the entire state of Alaska is predicted to have a toastier summer by an average of 40 percent. The only place that has really escaped this heat prediction is the Great Plains area, which is scheduled for an average June, July and August.

Matthew Rosencrans, Head of Forecast Operations at NOAA, and Stephen Baxter, PhD., the author of this current outlook, explained that looking at "trends in temperatures and precipitation over the past 30 years and 15 years" help them create their summer outlook.

They also have advanced computer models and statistical tools that take into account everything from "air currents, moisture and temperature to soil moisture and the vertical structure of the atmosphere." They told Motherboard, "If the summer comes out as predicted, people in the west and east coast major cities will likely remember this summer as a warm summer, though likely not as brutal as last summer across the Northeast."

This may not seem like a big deal if you have AC, but it could be life-threatening: Outdoor workers spend a lot of time in direct sunlight, leading to potentially serious side effects from the heat. Elderly people, exercisers, and other vulnerable groups (like young children and people with disabilities), are also at risk. Even our pets need some love as temperatures soar. So check out this guide the National Integrated Heat Health Information System has created to staying safe when it's dangerously hot.

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