Memorial Day has come and gone, marking the unofficial start of summer. Here's what experts say is in store for the season.
2010, 2011, and 2012 were the hottest three consecutive summers in over a century, and each year tied with two earlier years for third most named storms in a season. We may be poised to continue those streaks.
- NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has released its three-month outlook for this summer, calling for average to above average temperatures across New England. The precipitation forecast is equivocal, with equal chances of average, above average and below average rainfall in the northeast.
- June 1 marks the official start of hurricane season, and the Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an active to extremely active season - 13 to 20 named storms, at least 7 hurricanes, 3-6 of which are expected to reach Category 3 or higher.
- This is also the time of year for harmful algal blooms, commonly (if slightly inaccurately) called red tides. Earlier this spring, researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution released their forecast, calling for a moderate bloom similar to last years. So far, though, we've seen "a general lack of toxicity," with Nauset Marsh being the only closure (and it has been closed nearly every spring for two decades).