AccuWeather's 2021 summer pest forecast
By
Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
There are some big concerns for homeowners and businesses dealing with insect control this summer. AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters is predicting that conditions in parts of the country will favor an active mosquito season, along with pests like spiders, roaches and ants.
Cities like Houston and Atlanta are expected to be among the most affected by pests this summer.
For eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the stage is set for a hyperactive mosquito season. Flooding rain in April and May left ample standing water for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
"Dallas, Houston, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, may wind up with the worst pest concerns for summer 2021," Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather's lead long-range forecaster, said.
An active mosquito season is expected across much of the South after an unusually wet spring. (Photo/jes2ufoto/Getty Images)
Insects like ants and roaches, driven inside by flooded lawns, may continue to be a problem for home and business owners who saw them make their way indoors during the spring. With rainfall expected to be closer to normal over the summer, though, insects will likely be more of a problem outdoors than indoors.
Across the Ohio Valley and lower Appalachians, rainfall is expected to be both heavy and frequent. Damp conditions and seasonable temperatures will help insects breed, especially mosquitoes and other waterborne bugs. Thankfully, an ample supply of water and food should keep most pests from hunting for something to eat indoors.
Not every region of the country will be so lucky, though, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
Across the Northeast, ticks may be a big concern outdoors. Occasional heat waves and dry conditions in cities like Burlington, Vermont, and Caribou, Maine, may inspire ants, cockroaches and some spiders to venture inside homes and businesses in search of food and water.
"When the weather warms, ants' metabolic rates rise and food is a necessity," Paselok said. "There will be warm-ups and cool-downs heading into July, with the warmest readings along the I-95 corridor."
In the Dakotas, an extreme drought that began this spring will carry on into the summer, driving ants and cockroaches inside as they hunt for food and water.
In the Interior Northwest, which includes Northern California, Nevada and western Idaho, ants and spiders will be a concern this summer. With hot and dry conditions continuing, these creatures may look to find water indoors.
"Drought and higher-than-normal heat with 90 to 100 plus readings will drive ants and other insects inside homes in the interior Northwest and intermountain West," Pastelok said.
Dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest may also lead to these creatures crawling indoors. Across the Northwest, ants and spiders may scurry indoors in late August or September, as a quick transition to fall-like nightly temperatures sends these pests inside for warmth.
Property owners can hope that drought conditions across the West, which began in the spring, have helped cut down on pest populations.
There will be quieter parts of the country, though. Across the Southwest, the number of pests will depend on how dry the weather is.
Moisture that aims at the far interior Southwest during July may get pulled westward during August and early September. If this occurs, there will be less intense heat and near-normal precipitation across the region, which would, in turn, cause a near- to slightly below-normal insect season.
In Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, western Kansas and western Oklahoma, the late spring was wetter than normal, and the shift to summer heat was delayed. AccuWeather forecasters predict this area will dry out before returning to normal precipitation with temperatures normal to sightly above normal. With an equal spread of wet, dry, hot and seasonable weather, insect activity is expected to be near normal or even below normal.
The Great Lakes region can expect a relatively quiet pest season. Conditions in the region have been drier than normal, and temperatures have been seasonally up and down, which will help produce normal insect activity.
At the beginning of the season, areas from Michigan to New England and the Interstate 95 corridor were abnormally dry, setting the stage for lower mosquito populations. However, abundant rainfall in midsummer wiped out the dry conditions for many locations, although some localized areas were still rather dry in Michigan and New England a month into summer. Additional downpours could lead to some breeding grounds for the pests during the remainder of the season. Near-normal activity is anticipated through August and into September.
South Florida can also expect to see fewer pests this year, as the region has seen below-average rainfall totals and near-normal temperatures. The number of pests could increase over the course of the summer, though, as tropical rain could provide ample breeding grounds for pests like mosquitoes.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
AccuWeather's 2021 summer pest forecast
By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer
There are some big concerns for homeowners and businesses dealing with insect control this summer. AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters is predicting that conditions in parts of the country will favor an active mosquito season, along with pests like spiders, roaches and ants.
Cities like Houston and Atlanta are expected to be among the most affected by pests this summer.
For eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the stage is set for a hyperactive mosquito season. Flooding rain in April and May left ample standing water for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
"Dallas, Houston, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, may wind up with the worst pest concerns for summer 2021," Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather's lead long-range forecaster, said.
An active mosquito season is expected across much of the South after an unusually wet spring. (Photo/jes2ufoto/Getty Images)
Insects like ants and roaches, driven inside by flooded lawns, may continue to be a problem for home and business owners who saw them make their way indoors during the spring. With rainfall expected to be closer to normal over the summer, though, insects will likely be more of a problem outdoors than indoors.
Across the Ohio Valley and lower Appalachians, rainfall is expected to be both heavy and frequent. Damp conditions and seasonable temperatures will help insects breed, especially mosquitoes and other waterborne bugs. Thankfully, an ample supply of water and food should keep most pests from hunting for something to eat indoors.
Not every region of the country will be so lucky, though, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
Across the Northeast, ticks may be a big concern outdoors. Occasional heat waves and dry conditions in cities like Burlington, Vermont, and Caribou, Maine, may inspire ants, cockroaches and some spiders to venture inside homes and businesses in search of food and water.
"When the weather warms, ants' metabolic rates rise and food is a necessity," Paselok said. "There will be warm-ups and cool-downs heading into July, with the warmest readings along the I-95 corridor."
In the Dakotas, an extreme drought that began this spring will carry on into the summer, driving ants and cockroaches inside as they hunt for food and water.
In the Interior Northwest, which includes Northern California, Nevada and western Idaho, ants and spiders will be a concern this summer. With hot and dry conditions continuing, these creatures may look to find water indoors.
"Drought and higher-than-normal heat with 90 to 100 plus readings will drive ants and other insects inside homes in the interior Northwest and intermountain West," Pastelok said.
Dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest may also lead to these creatures crawling indoors. Across the Northwest, ants and spiders may scurry indoors in late August or September, as a quick transition to fall-like nightly temperatures sends these pests inside for warmth.
Property owners can hope that drought conditions across the West, which began in the spring, have helped cut down on pest populations.
There will be quieter parts of the country, though. Across the Southwest, the number of pests will depend on how dry the weather is.
Moisture that aims at the far interior Southwest during July may get pulled westward during August and early September. If this occurs, there will be less intense heat and near-normal precipitation across the region, which would, in turn, cause a near- to slightly below-normal insect season.
In Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, western Kansas and western Oklahoma, the late spring was wetter than normal, and the shift to summer heat was delayed. AccuWeather forecasters predict this area will dry out before returning to normal precipitation with temperatures normal to sightly above normal. With an equal spread of wet, dry, hot and seasonable weather, insect activity is expected to be near normal or even below normal.
The Great Lakes region can expect a relatively quiet pest season. Conditions in the region have been drier than normal, and temperatures have been seasonally up and down, which will help produce normal insect activity.
At the beginning of the season, areas from Michigan to New England and the Interstate 95 corridor were abnormally dry, setting the stage for lower mosquito populations. However, abundant rainfall in midsummer wiped out the dry conditions for many locations, although some localized areas were still rather dry in Michigan and New England a month into summer. Additional downpours could lead to some breeding grounds for the pests during the remainder of the season. Near-normal activity is anticipated through August and into September.
South Florida can also expect to see fewer pests this year, as the region has seen below-average rainfall totals and near-normal temperatures. The number of pests could increase over the course of the summer, though, as tropical rain could provide ample breeding grounds for pests like mosquitoes.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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