Page 4 - May 19, 2021

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FEATURE meteorologist and staff writer winds greater than 100 mph. The storms
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather
leveled entire fields of crops and caused
billions of dollars in damages.
August, there will also be a Complexes of thunderstorms like
flip in the weather pattern derechos that take shape in the north-cen-
that will open the door for tral or midwestern U.S. this summer could
the hottest conditions of the potentially travel eastward into the Ohio
entire summer. Valley or mid-Atlantic before fizzling out.
“We could have a dry The western states can expect another
spell later in the summer active fire season. California experienced
that could spark some canes and three or four U.S. landfalls. its third-driest winter in history which
intense heat for a time,” “Our biggest concern is the fact that has left water reservoir levels well below
Pastelok said. water temperatures across the Atlantic normal, and with minimal snowpack across
All of the major cities are already warmer than normal over a the mountains, there will not be much
along the I-95 corridor of larger part of the basin,” said AccuWeather snowmelt to feed the reservoirs throughout
the Northeast are predicted Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, who has the summer.
to experience around the been forecasting the tropics for 45 years. A drought emergency was issued for
Late summer heat to build in same number of 90-degree Warm water is one of the key ingredi- several counties in California on April 20

Northeast after stormy start days as last summer, which is ents for tropical cyclone formation, and due to drought conditions with the poten-
tial for Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a
near to slightly above normal.
with the temperatures continually rising
to season. This includes New York City throughout the summer, it will translate more widespread drought emergency in
and Philadelphia, both of which to more fuel for tropical storms and hurri- the coming months.
The summer of 2020 was one that will experienced a notably higher canes that do develop. Water use restrictions are likely to
not soon be forgotten, not only because of number of 90-degree days in 2020 com- As residents who live along stretches of “come into play during the course of the
COVID-19, but also because of extreme pared to normal. the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard will summer season,” Pastelok added.
weather across the country. Phoenix shat- New York City recorded 20 days in need to prepare for potential impacts from The parched earth has left vegetation
tered the record for the most 110-degree 2020 on which the mercury hit 90 F, tropical systems, those across the north- dry ahead of the hot summer, setting the
days in one year, Colorado experienced and Philadelphia managed to crack the central U.S. should brace for an uptick in stage for another active wildfire season
the four largest wildfires in state history 90-degree mark on 36 occasions in 2020. severe weather events. across California. Researchers from San
and the Atlantic spawned a record-setting Washington, D.C., may even come close to The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Jose State recently found that moisture
30 named tropical systems, 11 of which reaching 90 F on 50 days in 2021. reported 253 tornadoes in 2021 as of April content levels in vegetation samples were
made landfall in the U.S., in a hyperactive As a whole, Pastelok said that tempera- 23, below the average of around 400 for the lowest in a decade.
hurricane season. tures may be around 1 to 3 degrees above late April. However, AccuWeather fore- “We might have bigger fires earlier in
Veteran meteorologist Paul Pastelok, normal this summer across the Northeast, casters believe that a big uptick in tornado the season than we typically would if we
who leads AccuWeather’s team of long- while temperatures will average close to activity will occur in May and June. had more of a wet year,” Craig Clements of
range forecasters, has painted a picture of normal across the Ohio Valley and lower AccuWeather is predicting between San Jose University Fire Weather Research
what people can expect across the U.S. this Midwest. 1,300 and 1,400 twisters by the end of 2021. Laboratory told AccuWeather National
summer, which officially begins at 11:32 Meanwhile, the Southeast is bracing for This is slightly higher than the number of Reporter Bill Wadell.
p.m. EDT on June 20, 2021. another busy hurricane season. The 2020 tornadoes in 2020 and right around the Colorado, Utah, Nevada and northern
As the nation heads into its second Atlantic hurricane season was one for the average of 1,383, according to SPC data. California will face the highest risk of early
consecutive summer during a global pan- record books with some communities along The most active zone for severe weather summer wildfires before the fire threat
demic, signs of normalcy are returning. In the Gulf Coast still recovering following is predicted to be around Minnesota, Iowa, shifts as the season progresses.
the Northeast, the stifling heat of summer several strikes by powerful storms. Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. This In 2020, Colorado experienced its four
may not take hold right away from the The overall impacts from tropical sys- includes major cities such as Minneapolis, largest wildfires in state history. Among the
Interstate 95 corridor to the shores of the tems in 2021 is expected to be a bit lower Chicago and St. Louis. Colorado fires, the Cameron Peak Fire was
Great Lakes, but that doesn’t mean that air than the past few years, but it is not zero, This region may also experience an the biggest, scorching more than 208,000
conditioners will be able to take it easy this Pastelok said. extreme weather event that is sometimes acres. Previously, the record for the largest
year. “We do feel there could be a named called an “inland hurricane.” wildfire in the state was more than 139,000
The first part of the summer will fea- storm in June, but the way the pattern A derecho is a complex of intense thun- acres burned earlier in 2020.
ture frequent thunderstorms across the is setting up in June in the eastern U.S.,” derstorms that unleashes damaging winds Northern California is another area of
Northeast, Ohio Valley and Midwest, lim- Pastelok explained, anything that might over an area extending hundreds of miles. concern to Pastelok early in the summer
iting the potential for long-duration heat develop “may be forced away from the This extreme weather event is sometimes with the potential for several significant
waves with temperatures averaging right coast or head well down to the south called an “inland hurricane” due to the fires. Although the winter and spring
around normal. towards Mexico or South Texas.” hurricane-force wind gusts and the way were not nearly as dry across the Pacific
AccuWeather’s long-range forecast- While not predicted to be as busy as last that it appears on radar. Northwest as across California, the hot and
ers believe that several rounds of stronger year, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season “We are still very nervous about the dry summer weather will lead to an elevat-
storms could sweep across the region, is expected to be another above-average possibility of derechos developing based on ed wildfire risk across the region as well.
particularly in June and July, in addition to season. AccuWeather is predicting 16 to 20 the pattern that we’re forecasting” begin- Keep checking back on AccuWeather.
garden variety summer storms that pop up named storms, 7 to 10 hurricanes and three ning in early June, Pastelok said. com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather
on warm and humid afternoons. to five direct hits on the U.S. A typical sea- On August 10, 2020, a particularly Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum,
As the calendar flips from July to son features 14 named storms, seven hurri- strong derecho blasted across Iowa with FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. n