IRON MOUNTAIN — Temperatures this summer could be a degree or two above the historical average in the Upper Peninsula, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

The National Weather Service has a similar outlook. Above-normal temperatures are favored for nearly all of the continental U.S. through August, with higher probabilities for the West, South and Northeast, NWS forecaster Dan Collins said.

AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said extreme summer heat may visit the northern Rockies and the Plains, where records could be challenged “on multiple occasions.”

The wet months of March and April wiped out a moderate drought in parts of the Upper Peninsula. The U.S. Drought Monitor, however, continues to show abnormally dry conditions to the west. That’s the case for much of Wisconsin’s Vilas County and all of the state’s northwest corner.

NWS forecasters predict a drier May ahead, with a 45% chance of below-average precipitation in the U.P. and a 20% chance of above average. The outlook through August for the region is neutral for the eastern half but a drier summer is slightly favored in the west.

AccuWeather predicts “some” drought risk for Wisconsin and the U.P. from June through August. “Drought coverage will be widespread across the High Plains and West this summer,” Pastelok said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that La Nina — marked by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific — has come to an end. Its counterpart El Nino is also absent and a neutral phase is expected to last at least into early fall.

El Nino is typically linked to milder winters in the U.P. and La Nina the opposite. At this time, the 2025-26 winter forecast for the region is neutral, according to NWS.