New York in Store for Extremely Soggy, Unbearably Hot Summer

Our hopes of having an enjoyable summer were just flushed down the drain.

Summer 1999 will go down in infamy as being the soggiest summer on record in my books. I remember seeing nonstop gray skies, downpours, and a whole bunch of slugs that decimated our manicured gardens.

After 15 years of holding that title, it appears 2024 is poised to be even worse.

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It seems like the sun vanished sometime in September 2023 and we haven't enjoyed a single week - or even a weekend - without rain.  According to the Farmer's Almanac, summertime will not break this soggy spell.

This year's theme? "Widespread cloudiness."

The weather forecasters there predict New York is in store for a sultry, soggy, and muggy summer. There's even an elevated chance for "plentiful" thunderstorms.

Those with green thumbs are urged to rethink their gardening plans and instead construct "rain gardens" full of plants that thrive in soggy soil like "marigolds, forget-me-nots, canna lilies, day lilies, irises, and hibiscus."

Wet weather is also a boon for annoying bugs like mosquitos, so those who don't want to deal with more insects should consider adding lemon thyme and lemon balm to their garden because they naturally deter these bloodsuckers.

The wettest month of the summer is slated to be August, with the Farmers Almanac saying it "looks to be especially wet and showery."

A Glimmer of Hope with the Old Farmer's Almanac

For those who are more "glass half full," just know not all weather forecasters are on team Farmers Almanac. In fact, the Old Farmer's Almanac, which is a completely separate publication, predicts most of New York will enjoy a drier but hotter summer.

Central New York falls within the "hot, dry" zone, but Western New York is told to anticipate a cool and dry summer - except for the areas bordering the Great Lakes. That region is on the hook for a hot and rainy summer.

What Are Other Forecasters Predicting?

While it's fun to look at what the farmers are saying about the future weather, some people may want to leave the prognosticating to the professionals.

According to Accuweather, they are calling for "widespread heat" that will drive up our air conditioning costs. Central New York should expect to see temperatures that could be up to 4 degrees higher than average and could see more than two dozen 90-degree days.

The weather outlet is also warning of increased chances for severe thunderstorms due to the continued hot and muggy weather.

The National Weather Service and NOAA jointly released their summertime expectations and agree that we will see above-average temperatures this year. When it comes to rainfall, they are still ambivalent on whether we will see more or less rain than average.

This basically confirms one thing that allergists have been saying all along, the humidity and hot temperatures are going to create a wicked allergy season.

Read More: New York's 2024 Allergy Season to Be the Worst in History

As we all know, take these predictions with a grain of salt because this area doesn't follow forecasts. We don't know what kind of weather we're going to get until the day-of... meaning every day is like a surprise gift and that's why we call it the present.

I'll show myself out.