Louisiana likely to have hotter-than-usual summer

• Hot weather, particularly when it is prolonged, also threatens the reliability of the nation's increasingly strained electricity grid.

State of play: New Orleans had its hottest summer on record last year and had its hottest recorded day ever.

• 69 people died in Louisiana from heat-related causes, according to the state Department of Health.
• The state also had more than 600 wildfires in addition to extreme drought conditions.

Driving the news: A recently released NOAA climate outlook for June through August shows only one whole state — North Dakota — in the Lower 48 with equal chances of below-average, average or above-average temperatures.

• Everywhere else in the region is projected to be hotter than average, but with varying odds.

Between the lines: Human-caused climate change is altering the character of American summers.

By the numbers: The average summer temperature in New Orleans is now 3.5°F hotter than it was in 1970, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research and communications group, using NOAA data.

• New Orleans has 16 more days above 95°F in a typical summer when compared to 1970.

Zoom out: On top of rising overall temperatures, New Orleans is the worst "heat island" among all major U.S. metros, according to Climate Central.

• New Orleans can be nearly 9°F warmer than surrounding tree-covered communities, mostly due to a lack of permeable surface.
• Newark, New York City, Houston and San Francisco are all close behind.

Go deeper to read more about national trends