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A long, hot U.S. summer is looming, forecasters say
A hotter-than-usual summer is likely to occur in the U.S. and many other parts of the globe, according to new forecasts and scientific research. Why it matters: Extreme heat is a major public health threat and plays a role in droughts and wildfires. • Hot weather, particularly when it occurs during prolonged heat waves, also threatens the reliability of the nation's increasingly strained electricity grid. The big picture: An ongoing El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean is quickly fading, with cooling ocean temperatures at and beneath the surface. • A La Niña climate cycle is expected to take shape, which ... (full story)