Weather
Summer 2024 Could Be America's Hottest On Record: See CA Forecast
A new forecast by The Weather Channel projects record-high temperatures in the U.S., but the predictions are less extreme for California.
CALIFORNIA β An increasingly likely La NiΓ±a event could mean the United States will experience one of the hottest summers on record this year, and California will be feeling the heat.
According to a recently released forecast from The Weather Channel, many Californians can expect to see temperatures go from slightly below normal at the start of the summer to slightly above normal by the dog days of summer.
"Warmer-than-average conditions are expected to encompass much of the country this summer, with parts of the West, Gulf Coast and mid-Atlantic expected to be near average or slightly warmer," The Weather Channel reported.
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La NiΓ±a could play a big role in spiking temperatures, Dr. Todd Crawford, vice president of meteorology at Atmospheric G2, wrote for The Weather Channel. La NiΓ±a events typically occur every two to seven years on average and last nine to 12 months. However, California endured three years in a row of La NiΓ±a , which ended in the spring of 2023. The weather phenomenon capped an historic drought in the Golden State.
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During a La NiΓ±a event, strong trade winds push warm water toward the West Coast, bringing cold water to the ocean surface and pushing the jet stream northward, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As a result, a La NiΓ±a event often leads to drought in the southern U.S. and heavy rains and flooding in the Pacific Northwest. La NiΓ±a can also lead to a more severe hurricane season and an increased chance of a hotter summer in the central and eastern U.S.
For May, Californians can expect slightly below-average temperatures in the southern part of the state and slightly above-average temperatures further north. Projections for June are similar, although only the most southern part of California is expected to be slightly below average.
In July, temperatures along much of the coast will be slightly below average while inland they will be slightly above average.
As summer comes to a close, temperatures will be slightly above or above average in August for the entire state, according to The Weather Channel.
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