Summer Weather Prediction: Heat and Drought for Illinois

With El Niño fading, Accuweather predicts big changes ahead in our weather, and most of them could be described as unpleasant. For the Midwest, that means a hotter-than-average summer. 

A "minor to moderate" drought brought on by late-spring and early-summer heat will encompass Chicago and the suburbs, stretching from Indianapolis to Minneapolis, according to Accuweather Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok.

Good news for the swimming pool set. Bad news for farmers, gardeners and lovers of lush, green lawns.

Here's a National Weather Service explanation of what soon will happen with the weather:

El Nino refers to warmer than normal water temperatures across the tropical Pacific and La Nina refers to cooler than normal water temperatures across the tropical Pacific. With the Pacific being a vast ocean basin, the warmer/colder than normal water temperatures affect thunderstorm development and placement across the tropical Pacific and have a significant impact on the weather patterns across the globe and the US.
The data shows that in past transitions from El Nino to La Nina during the summer, there is a pretty strong signal for warmer than normal temperatures in the Midwest.