Most people who live outside of the Northeast thinks it’s always cold, even in the summer. All of my friends back in Georgia tell me all the time “stop complaining, it isn’t hot up there.” Well, everyone is about to be shocked because according to this video by The Insider, it’s about to get hotter than ever.
In the video, it says that 2016 will be the hottest summer ever and it is to be blamed by La Niña. According to TheFreeDictionary.com, the La Niña is a cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every four to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns.
This past winter was unnaturally warm as well. The town of Amherst experienced its second warmest winter on record since the 1800’s. Scientists say that was caused by an El Niño, which is a phenomenon of periodic warming of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, and it makes certain areas warmer than they should be. They also said it shouldn’t affect the summer temperatures, but I guess that will be happening.
According to Weather.com, the El Niño should be getting weaker and turn into La Niña for the summer. The Northeast is supposed to be well above average starting in June and the cooler parts will be from central/southern Texas to Louisiana.
This past week in Massachusetts, we even hit 90 degrees. In Chicopee, there was a record high of 90 degrees for the day of May 26. The average max temperature is reported as 68 degrees.
LiveScience.com says that a La Niña can trigger events such as heat waves, which means it is possible some places America can experience one. In that case, there are emergency hot weather procedures in Massachusetts for homeless people. Of course you should call 911 for an emergency, but there are shelters around that will accept people during heat waves.
Here is a page for the city of Boston that shows procedures and shelters that are safe places during heat waves. It also gives advice for when you see someone passed out or you feel like they may seem drunk, they may actually be dehydrated.
This is definitely the time to store all winter and fall clothes in the closet and bring out the summer clothes, or go buy some. This summer is supposed to be brutal and everyone should be as comfortable as they can be. Don’t forget to drink water and turn on the air conditioner if you can.