Feel the burn: It will be hotter than normal everywhere

Above-average temps expected in every state

For the first time, every square inch of all 50 states is expected to see above-average temperatures for the next three months, according to a forecast map from the federal government’s Climate Prediction Center.

An entire forecast map awash in the red and orange colors of unusually warm temperatures for a three-month period is unprecedented, according to Dan Collins, a meteorologist with the prediction center. Typically parts of the map register blue, depicting the likelihood of cooler-than-normal air, or white for equal chances of cool and warm.

The archives for the center’s climate predictions go back to 1995, Collins said.

A separate climate prediction from the Weather Company for August to September shows a very similar warmer-than-normal forecast for practically the entire nation, with summer-like temperatures expected to continue into the early fall for many U.S. locations. The Weather Company, the parent company of the Weather Channel, predicts heat relief for just one part of one state: northern Montana.

The ongoing heat is due to a “blocking ” pattern in the upper atmosphere that allows highpressure ridges to build. Air sinks under high pressure, preventing clouds and rain from forming.

Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist with the Weather Company, said that these types of blocking patterns during the summer have been more common in recent years, and it may be related to a decline in Arctic sea ice because of climate change.