RI Long-Range Weather Forecast: How Hot Will Summer Get?

It's never too soon to start thinking about summer, especially with Memorial Day weekend a little more than a month away. And the good news? When all is said and done, it's expected to be a little hotter overall than usual – but not too hot.

The Weather Company has us starting out with a bang. And although it might seem like a blind guess three months out, the forecast comes from anticipating systems and considering trends.

The Northeast will see its greatest chance for warmer-than-average temperatures in June as the weather pattern begins its expected transition from La Niña to El Niño. Average highs in June will be in the 70s, while average lows are in the 50s.

"Typical transitions from La Niña to El Niño conditions result in cooler summers overall, especially late; our forecast reflects this warmest-early, coolest-late idea, but is not particularly cool given the recent pronounced global-scale warming," says Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist with The Weather Company.

That means temperatures will wane slightly in July — which could be a blessing, since averages highs get into the 80s. The Weather Company has Rhode Island lingering around "near or slightly above average" throughout the month, followed by a dip to "near or slightly below average" in August, where average highs stay in the 80s.

The verdict? We'll likely hover around your typical New England summer, which means plenty of Cape weekends, Sox games and lobster rolls.

But don't expect that summer weather to pop up again in April like it did recently. There are a couple days that might get into the high 60s, including next Saturday, which early forecasts say could crack 70, but overall the rest of April looks like a couple of rainy days (including this Friday), some clouds and temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

>> Top photo by Dilys Ong via Flickr/Creative Commons