By Mrudvi Bakshi

news@oxfordeagle.com

Temperatures have officially wandered into the 80s and 90s, which means summer is close.

Summer officially begins June 20, and the weather experts don’t see anything particularly dramatic coming in the way of temperatures in Lafayette County and North Mississippi.

Zach Maye, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis, said the area is forecast to see average temperatures with some days expected to get relatively warmer than the others starting in June and going through August.

He recommends, regardless of the temperatures, checking the heat index, which measures the moisture and humidity in the air, before stepping outside and taking the necessary precautions so the heat won’t take a toll.

“People need to be reminded of these precautions periodically as there is a probability of the temperatures hitting 100 degrees,” Maye said.

This summer will also witness a decline of the strong El Niño which began in 2015 and is expecting a transition to neutral by early summer.

“We are currently in a weak El Niño and hence it will lead to this neutral phase in the summer,” Maye said.

The reason behind a weak El Niño could be attributed to abnormalities with the sea surface temperature over the equatorial Pacific. The irregularity alters the jet stream, effecting the temperature and precipitation in the climate.

Temperature-wise an average temperature of 88 degrees is expected in the month of June, 91 degrees in July and 91 degrees in August.

Mississippi’s state climatologist, Chris Fuhrmann, said residents can expect typical Southeastern temperatures through the summer months.

“Daytime will be predominately hot; nights will be at 60 degrees, occasionally tilting to 70 degrees,” he said.

Furhmann estimates a 20-30 percent possibility of rainfall daily, and it could be hit or miss for the region.

“Thunderstorms might pop up in a few counties, some could expect pleasant showers and others drought,” he said. “Stream levels are definitely in for a decline, considering the improbability.”

It’s vital that one stays hydrated throughout these months and gets the body to acclimate to such conditions,” Furhmann said.