This summer, warmer-than-normal temperatures along the East Coast “may re-test the power systems of New York and New England,” which last year had cooler-than-normal temperatures, said WSI Corp., which issued its end-of-May update on Monday. WSI’s forecast for a warm July and August, “especially in the major cities,” could “spell a strain for the already delicate capacity balances in critical areas like New York City.”

Hurricane-wise, experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict that the Atlantic season “likely will have normal levels of activity, bringing fewer storms than the past three years.” NOAA officials said the absence of “strong La Nina conditions this year will likely result in a number of storms, but relatively fewer compared to the last three seasons.”

Last year, there were 14 named storms, and eight became hurricanes. NOAA officials said that the Atlantic hurricane season would end Nov. 30, and they plan to update their hurricane outlook in August.

Colorado State University, which plans to update its hurricane forecast this week, has already forecast about six hurricanes, 10 named storms, 50 named storm days and 25 hurricane days. It predicts two intense storms and four intense hurricane days. In its April forecast, CSU predicted that the Atlantic hurricane season would be “less active” than the “very busy 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons, but more active than the average” for the past 50 years.

As far as the summer forecast, WSI predicts warmer-than-normal temperatures in the northwestern U.S. and along the East Coast while near-normal temperatures are predicted for California. In the rest of the country, temperatures will be below normal, with the coolest readings expected along the northern Plains, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Gulf Coast.

This month, WSI predicts cooler-than-normal temperatures will blow through the northern Plains, western Great Lakes states and Florida, with warmer-than-normal highs throughout the southern tier of states. For California and the northeast, WSI predicts June will be cooler-than-normal.

In July, WSI predicts temperatures will be warmer-than-normal along the entire eastern seaboard, especially in the Northeast. However, along the Gulf Coast and into Florida, July should be cooler-than-normal, and elsewhere, including California, near-normal temperatures will prevail.

“In August, we expect even warmer temperatures in the East, especially in the major cities of the Northeast,” notes WSI. Warmer-than-normal temperatures also are expected in the northern Rockies. However, over much of the central portion of the country, along the Gulf Coast and into Florida, WSI forecasts cooler-than-normal readings. “California can also expect slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures,” with near-normal temperatures elsewhere.

WSI, headquartered in Billerica, MA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Communications, supplying real-time weather data, imagery, programming and weather forecast services. It issues its seasonal weather advisories twice a month.

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