Old Farmer’s Almanac Summer 2020 Forecast For Northern VA, DC

WASHINGTON, DC — With Ocean City beaches open, even as northern Virginia and the District of Columbia remain under stay-at-home orders, thoughts are now turning to what to expect this summer.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792, is predicting Virginia and the DC region can expect “sizzle and drizzle” weather in the coming summer months. What does that mixed description mean?

"Summer’s steamiest weather will hold off until mid-July in most areas. Gardeners almost everywhere — in the Intermountain and Pacific regions, northern Alaska, from most of Texas northward to Canada, and eastward to the Atlantic—may be relieved to hear that summer rainfall will be above normal."

In June, the Almanac predicts our state will see an average temperature of 72 degrees, which is 1 degree above average, and 3.5 inches of rain, which is average for the DC region.

The almanac even offers week-by-week weather predictions for June:

• June 1-5: Rainy periods, cool
• June 6-12: Scattered thunderstorms, turning hot
• June 13-17: Sunny, hot
• June 18-25: Showers, then sunny; cool
• June 26-30: Scattered thunderstorms; hot north, cool south

Summer officially begins with the solstice on Saturday, June 20.

For most of the United States, summer’s hottest periods won’t occur until July. “Summer’s steamiest weather will hold off until mid-July in most areas,” said Almanac editor Michael Steinberg.

While the summer is expected to be a scorcher across the United States in 2020, the Old Farmer’s Almanac also predicts elevated amounts of rainfall from Texas to Canada, and eastward to the Atlantic Ocean.

June 1 marks the official beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs until Nov. 30, although there has already been one named storm, Tropical Storm Arthur. Tropical storm activity will be near average, with the best chance for a major hurricane strike to occur in mid-September from Florida to North Carolina, the almanac says.

However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week said its "outlook for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season indicates that an above-normal season is most likely, with a possibility of that season being extremely active."

See also: NOAA Predicts Strong 2020 Hurricane Season Amid Coronavirus

On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

NOAA predicted with 70 percent certainty there will be 13 to 19 named storms with top winds of at least 39 mph. Of those, six to 10 are expected to become hurricanes with top winds of at least 74 mph, including three to six major hurricanes of Category 3 and higher with top winds of at least 111 mph, according to Jacobs.

In April, Colorado State University meteorologists predicted the 2020 hurricane season could bring 16 named storms — four more than the average.

The Almanac’s weather forecast methodology comes from a secret formula that was created by its founder, Robert Thomas, in 1792. The exact prediction process remains a secret, but the periodical discloses it uses solar science, climatology and meteorology to make its forecasts.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which is not to be confused with its rival forecast predictor, Farmers’ Almanac, is North America’s oldest continuously published periodical, according to its website.