Expect Hotter-Than-Usual Temps This Summer, Drought Possible

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It seems we're racing right into summer -- 90 degrees Thursday, cooler but still steamy Friday.

But will the weather stay that way all summer long?

"How could it be better than this today?" Don Lipari, of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, said to CBS2's Vanessa Murdock on Friday.'

MORE: Check The Forecast

"It's like summer, and the sand is really hot, but it's actually spring, and spring is almost done," said 6-year-old Florencia.

Almost.

Summer officially begins in 24 days, but the unofficial start is this Memorial Day weekend.

"In summer, I think it's going to be even hotter (than Friday)," Florencia said.

She is one smart 6-year-old. Odds are temperatures this summer will be above normal, Murdock reported.

Highs typically stack up like this:
• 79.3 degrees in June
• 84.1 degrees in July
• 82.1 degrees in August.

So expect all three months to heat up past those numbers.

"It's probably going to be super hot, and we'll all be complaining in about a month," said Rachel Leinweber, of Midwood, Brooklyn.

Seems more likely than not.

"I think one thing we're going to have to keep an eye on as we go into summer is the precipitation regime," said New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson.

Robinson said March and April combined were the seventh driest in the last 120 years. It rained often in May, but not heaviliy. Right now, conditions are abnormally dry. The annual deficit stands at 5.36 inches.

"Streamflow is real low in the metropolitan area," Robinson said. "I'm a little bit concerned that if we don't get timely and at least average rain, we might start having some water concerns later in summer."

He added that right now reservoirs are OK, but there's not a lot of water flowing into them, and this is the time of year we start taking a lot of water out of them.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is projecting the development of drought over the summer in the tri-state area.