Arizona predicted to see above average temperatures this summer

PHOENIX — Residents of the Valley of the Sun may be in for above average temperatures this summer, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service.

According to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, in June-August the western and central part of the state has 50-70% chance of exceeding average temperatures.

 

The western part of the state, though, has about a 35% chance of higher average temperatures.

Precipitation predictions by the center also anticipate the eastern and central portions of the state seeing less rainfall while the western portion of the state will be about average.

These conditions are evolving as the El Nino climate pattern – warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean — takes hold after four years of La Nina conditions.

According to a El Nino report issued by the Climate Prediction Center on May 15, equatorial sea surface temperatures are near-to-above average across most of the Pacific Ocean. A transition from neutral Pacific temperatures to elevated temperatures is expected in the next couple of months, with a greater than 90% chance of El Nino persisting into the Northern Hemisphere winter.

May 16 had both the highest temperature so far in 2023 — 105 degrees — and set a new record for the highest daily low of 82 degrees.

For those looking for a rosier outlook, Weather.com is forecasting a cooler-than-average start to the summer for the Southwest.

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