HOT WEEKEND HOT SUMMER AHEAD…

We had an early blast of summer over the past few days as the mercury soared to 90 degrees in many locations throughout the Northeast, along with an early season Tropical Storm named Bonnie.

Bonnie was the second named storm this season – Hurricane Alex formed way back in January, keeping in mind the hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1 and continuing through November 30.

My long range hurricane outlook for 2016 was published in Metro back in April, predicting a very active one, going against the majority of the hurricane experts who are predicting a below average to average hurricane season.

The summer ahead should be an unseasonably hot one, as once dominant El Niño (warming of the equatorial Pacific) is rapidly cooling and transforming into La Niña, just the opposite of El Niño. Past weather climatology indicates that La Niña episodes normally translate into hot summers here in the Northeast, but there are other factors as well.

Global warming will add more fuel to the fire, and, YES, global warming is real and our extremes in weather will continue to be unprecedented during our lifetimes and beyond. The Atlantic Ocean water temperature is heading above normal, which will keep coastal areas a bit above normal.

One of my concerns with La Niña is that it actually releases the lid that El Niño puts on the hurricane season by stifling tropical development. La Niña will enhance tropical development. So lather up with sunscreen and be prepared to sweat your thermometer off.

New York

Today: Developing afternoon sun 85

Wednesday: Beautiful 76

Thursday: Terrific 75

Friday: Few showers 72

Saturday: Scattered showers 77

Boston

Today: Developing sunshine, turning warmer 81

Wednesday: Sun and clouds, cooler 68

Thursday: Sun, cool 63

Friday: Clouds and sun70

Saturday: Showers arrive 69