Well, it's that time of year again where everyone begins to think about summer and when nice spring weather becomes hot and uncomfortable weather. Our summer forecast was released last month and it is looking like another season of above normal temperatures across much of the United States. While the most intense and persistent heat this summer is expected to remain in the West and Central Plains, we are also expecting above normal temperatures from the Midwest into the Northeast. Signs point to warm overnight temperatures playing a large role in the overall temperature anomalies, but that doesn't mean a few heatwaves (possibly significant) can decide to pay the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast a visit this summer. With that said, some may be wondering, "How many 90 degree days can we expect this year?"
|
City |
Average 90 Degree Days |
Our Forecast |
|
Chicago, Illinois |
17 |
21 - 26 |
|
Indianapolis, Indiana |
20 |
24 - 29 |
|
Columbus, Ohio |
21 |
22 - 27 |
|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
10 |
8 - 13 |
|
Washington, DC |
40 |
39 - 44 |
|
Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
21 |
22 - 27 |
|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
30 |
28 - 33 |
|
Trenton, New Jersey |
22 |
21 - 26 |
|
New York City |
17 |
15 - 20 |
|
Hartford, Connecticut |
20 |
20 - 25 |
The above table shows 10 major cities from the Midwest and into the Northeast. As you can see, we are expecting an above average number of 90 degree days in the Midwest and a near to above average number of 90 degree days in the Northeast. For our clients, this means that precautions will have to be taken on a regular basis this year in order to prevent heat related illnesses.
Interestingly enough, we are expecting July to be the coolest month of the summer relative to normal, which happens to be the time of year where the hottest weather typically occurs as shown below:
Courtesy of NOAA
However, the hottest weather of the summer (relative to normal) are expected to occur in June and August (Northeast especially), which should more than make up for possible lost time in July. While many people may get a break from having to run the air conditioner frequently in July, that doesn't mean that running the air conditioner this summer as a whole will be cheap.
Courtesy of NOAA
The image above shows our analog composite of the number of cooling degree days for this summer and you can see that while the highest cooling costs will likely be in the West this year, it will still not be cheap to cool buildings this year in the Midwest into the Northeast, despite July being a bit on the cooler side.
