Massachusetts residents are in for a warmer fall than usual, according to a new forecast map from the Climate Prediction Center .
Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine were highlighted as areas in the country that will likely experience above-average temperatures from October to December this year.
The forecast explains that these areas have a 50 to 60% chance of having higher than average temperatures throughout the season compared to observations made from 1981 to 2010.
The forecast takes into account the influence of La Niña , the cool phase of a natural, recurring climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. The warm phase counterpart is known as El Niño.
Both phases of the phenomenon appear episodically and “can have g