How Hot Will it Be in Louisiana This Summer – Here’s the Forecast

Louisiana crawfish producers in the southwestern corner of the state around Lafayette and Lake Charles are just now starting to reap the benefits of a very difficult crawfish season in Louisiana. And while producers are struggling to earn every dollar they can right now, they're also focusing their attention on the upcoming rice season and subsequent crawfish season next winter. 

That is assuming that Louisiana will have a "winter" next winter. We are not that far removed from one of the hottest and driest summers on record in Louisiana. The high heat and lack of moisture are what put crawfish season in such a bind this year. And unfortunately, things are shaping up for another less-than-spectacular summer as far as crawfish are concerned.

The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service is the department that provides long-range outlooks for the nation's weather. The CPC offers extended 8-14-day outlooks every week and once a month the CPC will update its three-month extended outlook. It's this outlook that gives us an idea of what we can expect seasonally from Mother Nature.

Below is the CPC three-month outlook for precipitation across the nation. As you can see, the southeastern states are forecast to experience above to slightly above-average rainfall over the next three months. Louisiana is just barely included in that area where above-average rainfall is forecast.

This precipitation outlook bodes better for Louisiana for this summer compared to last summer. If you recall Louisiana's drought conditions in 2023 were beyond historic. Let's hope we won't go through the dry grass, burn ban, or extreme heat scenarios we saw last year.

But alas, that doesn't appear to be what we are in for according to the Climate Prediction Center. Below is the temperature outlook for the next three months.

The entire nation, almost, is forecast to have above-normal temperatures for May, June, and July. Not only is this going to be tough on your air conditioner but above-average air temperatures usually coincide with above-average water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. Those warm sea surface temperatures could fuel what is expected to be an active hurricane season too. 

By the way, there is no tropical activity present in the Atlantic Basin as of this morning and the next couple of weeks appear to be quiet in that regard too. So, we have that going for us. In the meantime, you might want to get your HVAC system looked at and checked out. You're going to want that working in tip-top shape in about three weeks.