What does this Summer Mean???

So far this summer has featured many days with temperatures below average for not only us in Ohio, but for a large portion of the northeastern states. I know the official start of winter isn’t for 163 days, but some people have asked me what, if anything, the summer weather can predict for the winter ahead. From reading a few articles and searching some records, what I can say to answer the question is that there isn’t really a good correlation between summer and winter weather. There have been summers in the past with below average temperatures and then the winter was rather warm, and vice versa. Perhaps the most influential aspect of predicting the winter comes from the water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean – referred to by meteorologists as El Nino and La Nina. This year we are in a developing El Nino stage, which typically would bring a winter with less wintry-precipitation for the Great Lakes and Northern U.S. So, in short – enjoy the summer and don’t worry about winter right now!

Actually we will continue to be right about at our average high for the next week. We will be right around 80 degrees over the next few days, with the chance of rain only on Saturday. There will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms, some of which may be severe. Keep an eye to the sky if anything threatens. Have a great weekend everyone!