Summer Weather Forecast For Long Island: See Predictions

LONG ISLAND, NY — With the official start of summer just weeks away, planning has begun for the residents of Long Island who look forward to the warmer weather and increased opportunity for outdoor fun.

Specific, long-term weather predictions can help with that planning, and the private weather company AccuWeather has released its 2021 summer weather forecast.

Daily forecasts for Long Island towns are listed until early August. After that, AccuWeather lists the historical average temperature for the rest of the summer.

Long Island residents will see a few days with rainy or stormy weather from May through July.

Temperatures in May will feature a couple of days with highs in the mid-70s. June and July will see an increase in highs from the low 80s to the mid- to upper-80s. Historically, temperatures don’t go much over the low 80s in August.

Regionally, the Northeast will see several rounds of stronger storms sweeping across the area, particularly in June and July.

The stifling heat of the summer isn't expected to take hold until August, meteorologists said.

Nationally, AccuWeather predicts an eventful summer similar to the 2020 season, which brought record-breaking deaths and damage in the form of wildfires and hurricanes.

Meteorologists are also expecting the return of derechos, a weather phenomenon sometimes referred to as an “inland hurricane.” The term became more widely known last summer when one swept through Iowa with winds faster than 100 miles per hour on August 10.

“We are still very nervous about the possibility of derechos developing based on the pattern that we’re forecasting” Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s chief long-range forecaster, said in a statement.

This year, the most extreme weather is expected in the early fall, Pastelok added.

Although the number of tropical storms is predicted to be down from recent years, AccuWeather says tornadoes are likely to be on the rise from May until July.

Pastelok said anywhere from 1,300 to 1,400 tornadoes could be reported by the end of the year, a slight increase from 2020.

“Across the Plains, we’re still going to be watching for the possibility of a flare-up of storms, mainly central areas on north during the month of May, June and early July,” Pastelok said in a statement.

These storms are expected to extend farther east than normal, Pastelok added, due to drought conditions that range from Montana to the Texas Panhandle.