During Memorial Day Weekend, you may have noticed the rising temperatures in New Jersey, allowing for multiple trips to the beach or nearby public pools. With the high UV index, Jersey citizens were encouraged to wear sunscreen and enjoy the weather. While one might believe these weather conditions to be a preview of summer, according to meteorologists, this year’s forecast suggests even hotter temperatures because of climate change.
According to Fox Weather, “NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released its updated seasonal outlooks on Thursday that showed the probability of regions seeing above-normal, near-normal, and below-normal temperatures and rainfall. These predictions indicate that “the combination of weather patterns and heat means that the I-95 corridor could be set up for an extremely warm summer where heat waves will be common.” El Niño is a term that refers to when warm sea-surface temperatures develop across oceans along the equator in the Eastern Pacific. “The warm ocean surface warms the atmosphere, allowing moist air to rise and create rainstorms,” Fox Weather said. With El Niño slowly waning, forecasters say to expect a La Niña type of summer.
La Niña summers are drier with fewer rainy days. “The current shift to La Niña could make the Atlantic hurricane season worse this year,” NPR said. Since ocean temperatures are already warm there, this could contribute to a growth in storms.” Furthermore, “La Niña…acts like a ‘supporting character’… reducing the wind shear in the atmosphere…[which] makes it easier for hurricanes to strengthen, ” NPR said. So, if we are to expect more La Niña weather with El Niño slowly disappearing, we may still receive some occasional El Niño temperatures.
“Even while we shift into La Niña, we don’t see the impacts of that on global temperatures until later in the year,” Tom DiLiberto, a climate scientist at NOAA, said. Still, “We should expect 2024 to probably be in the top five of warmest years on record,” ENSO reports. “Niña could form as early as June-August 2024, with higher confidence of La Niña during the following seasons.”
“I will be escaping the sticky weather in Jersey and traveling to Northern Europe, where temperatures are rumored to be mild,” Sarah Villa (’27) said. “The predictions for the summer conditions will not necessarily affect my happiness or plans but will make my hair flat and gross because of the dry weather,” Villa said. “Winter of ’24 will definitely be drier and colder, making our lips and skin crack a lot more because of the dry weather,” Villa predicts.
To keep cool this summer, Better Health suggests staying hydrated with water, using air conditioning, wearing loose clothing, and taking cool showers. The site also suggests planning activities according to weather conditions by scheduling any events for the coolest part of the day.
