TOKYO, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency said higher-than-average temperatures are likely to hit nationwide from June through August.
According to a three-month forecast announced earlier this week, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) predicted a hot summer due to warm and humid air flowing in Japan from the edge of a high-pressure system in the Pacific.
The JMA said that the ending of the El Nino phenomenon will strengthen the high-pressure system.
Weather officials said that in June and July, temperatures will be normal or high in northern Japan, while expecting high temperatures in eastern and western Japan and in the Okinawa and Amami regions. In August, temperatures will be high across the country.
Shotaro Tanaka, head of the JMA's abnormal weather information center, called for "vigilant measures against heatstroke, as temperatures may spike during sunny periods in the rainy season, even before the peak of summer."
Rainfall is expected to be near-normal during the three months in northern and eastern Japan, and usual or more than usual in western Japan as well as the Okinawa and Amami regions, the JMA added.
Weather officials warned of very high temperatures in August if a La Nina weather pattern takes place. ■
