The Old Farmer’s Almanac recently released its long-range 2026 summer forecast. The Almanac has been pumping out weather forecasts for over 230 years with an 80% accuracy rate, helping people prepare for whatever conditions may be on the way. Here’s what it had to say for this upcoming summer in North America.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2026 Summer Forecast
If you like hot weather, this summer will likely be a good one. In most parts of North America, this summer will bring hotter-than-normal temperatures with rainfall varying by region. Areas closer to water bodies, like oceans or lakes, will receive more rainfall, whereas more arid regions will run dry.
This summer will likely also see the beginning of a strong El Niño pattern. According to the World Meteorological Organization, there is an “80% likelihood of an El Niño event during June–August 2026,” which could bring more extreme weather and above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” this summer. While El Niño’s largest impacts come during the winter months, it could certainly have an impact on North America’s summer.
United States Summer Forecast
In the United States, temperatures will be hotter than normal, especially across the South and the East Coast. There are some cooler areas sprinkled in, including the upper Midwest and Heartland, as well as some states in the Pacific Northwest like Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Rainfall predictions also vary by region, with some going wet and some going dry. States along the East Coast’s Appalachian Mountains are expected to have a drier summer, as is California, and parts of Arizona, Washington, and Florida. The High Plains are also expected to have a dry summer. Conversely, regions like the Heartland, the Gulf Coast, the lower Great Lakes, and the Four Corners region are expected to have higher-than-normal precipitation.
In general, the United States is expected to see a potpourri of conditions, but overall trends of a hotter-than-normal summer with small regional contrasts. Temperatures are expected to peak during the mid-summer months of July and August.
Canada Summer Forecast
Like the United States, temperatures are expected to trend hotter-than-normal in Canada, too.
Temperatures are expected to be higher in both the northern and southern parts of Canada. Southern Quebec, the Prairies, and southern British Columbia are all expected to receive heat. Canada’s northern parts, like the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Nunavut, are also expected to see high temperatures.
Only the southern parts of Ontario and the far eastern parts, like New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, will see milder temperatures.
Precipitation will fluctuate by region as well. Much of southern Canada is expected to be rainy, while northern parts will be drier. It will start to get rainy again in the far northern regions east of Alaska.
Hurricane Forecast
The Old Farmer’s Almanac is also expecting some tropical activity during the summer. Tropical storms and hurricanes are expected to trickle in throughout the summer, mostly affecting the southern parts of the East Coast, like Florida, Texas, and the Deep South.
The hurricane season officially started on June 1, 2026, and will run until November 30, 2026.
