Although the weather is still feeling chilly outside, spring is coming! The first day of spring is this Friday, March 20. As we look towards warmer days and begin envisioning the sunny days that lie ahead, let’s dig deeper into how spring and summer of 2026 might play out.
Richard Petrone, a professor in the department of geography and environmental management and part of the Hydrometeorology Research Group at UW shared his predictions for what this season holds in store. He predicts that this March, April, and May will be a rather slow start to the spring season. He expects the colder than average temperature we have seen this month to last through April, adding, “There may be brief warm spells, but they are expected to be offset by brief colder periods.”
Make sure to get your rain boots out, as Petrone also predicts we’re in for “a relatively wet spring, with above-normal precipitation anticipated through at least April, including a lot of potentially mixed precipitation [such as] periods of rain, ice, and snow.” The spring weather could pose a challenge for farmers, as they search for optimal times to plant crops.
As for May, Petrone highlighted the typical unpredictability of this month in particular, admitting it is tough to predict if cooler weather will persist or if we will see a quick jump towards summertime weather.
According to Petrone, this summer (June, July, and August) is predicted to “be among the hottest years on record.” Although spring is expected to get off on a slow start, the transition to summer heat is expected to be abrupt.
Finally, if you’re wondering about carrying an umbrella in your bag over the summer months, it might not be a bad idea. Petrone admits there is not yet a strong consensus for a dry or wet summer. He does share that some forecasts suggest “an active storm track in the Great Lakes region, which could bring above-normal precipitation to parts of Eastern Canada.” In brief, it’s quite possible we will see lengthy periods of hot weather with the possibility of some unexpected thunderstorms this summer.
