The US' Summer 2023 Weather Forecast Is Sizzling Hot & These States Will Find Relief
Most of the country will experience "unrelenting" heat.
People tubing down the Chatahoochee River. Right: A street in Miami, FL.
The summer season is around the corner, and if you're itching for warmer weather in the United States after a brutally cold winter and a predicted snowy spring, you might be getting more than you bargained for.
The Farmer's Almanac has released its 2023 predictions for the summer season, and things are looking "sizzling" for most of the country, with temperatures as high as 110° in some places.
The official meteorological summer season begins June 1, according to the Almanac, and lasts throughout the end of September, so what are the weather predictions for Summer 2023?
Is Summer 2023 going to be hot for the US?
The Almanac predicts the states east of the Mississippi River, like Florida, New York, and North and South Carolina, will start to heat up by then, with the rest of the country following suit.
The Deep South states like Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama are predicted to have heat that was likened to being "oppressive." Texas and Oklahoma will witness above-average thunderstorms partnered with the "sweltering" hot weather. The western states like California and Arizona are looking to be "sizzling" with arid temps and no humidity.
New Englanders should also brace for "scorching" temps with below-average rainfall, so be sure to water your plants. Lastly, much of the West and Midwest is predicted to witness this unrelenting, "broiling" heat.
What states will find relief from the heat of Summer 2023?
There are a few American regions that won't be so hot this year, like the Great Lakes areas, including Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin, that will only be "warm-to-hot" instead of absolutely brutal.
Additionally, states like Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are the lucky few to steadily be quite pleasant with average "dry" temperatures.
Locals of these states will get to enjoy three months of pleasant, mild weather that will have them wanting to hike or head to the beach.
Will Summer 2023 be El Nino?
Right now, there is a 62% chance El Niño conditions will show its steamy, sizzling ways from May - July, according to the NOAA.
That typically means there is an increase in temperatures for the Northern U.S. and Canada, along with a wet and soggy Gulf Coast and Southeastern U.S.
"In the case of the Atlantic, El Niño increases vertical wind shear—the change in wind direction and strength from the surface to higher in the atmosphere—which can impede a hurricane’s growth," the Climate.gov website states.
Will 2023 be an active hurricane season?
Despite the hot temps all over the United States and El Nino practically breathing down our necks, the Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be slightly less active than in previous years.
Weather researchers anticipate this one will be "below-average," with only two forecasted major storms along with only 13 named storms.
Even though many of us might be melting from the sweltering heat, it's anticipated that this hurricane season will only see about 80% activity compared to the busy seasons of 1991-2020, so that might come as a small comfort.
This article has been updated since it was originally published on February 14, 2023.