By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – It happened at 2:46 a.m. this morning. Most people were asleep. Others might have been wandering in the dark, but they noticed nothing.

In the wee hours today, spring became summer. And when there is a change of seasons, there are predictions for the coming weather.

How good or bad will the summer be? It all depends on whom you consider the experts.

The Farmers’ Almanac predicts summer will be hotter than normal for most of the country this year. Good news for New England, where the weather has been unpredictable and wet. But, don’t put away the rain gear just yet, even if you have total faith in the almanac.

“Conditions in the Northeast will be warm to hot,” according to this year’s prediction, “with a greater-than-normal amount of thunderstorm activity. Warm, wet weather will prevail over most of the Eastern seaboard, stretching into the Midwest and South.”

At the National Weather Service in Gray, meteorologists are less inclined to make bold predictions about an entire season’s worth of weather.

“New England just has its own set of peculiarities,” said meteorologist Jim Mansfield. “There’s an equal chance of above-normal temperatures, below-normal temperatures or normal temperatures. That’s typically how New England works.”

The Farmers’ Almanac traditionally takes a long-term look at what a year’s worth of weather might be like. There are those who swear by its methods and those who put little stock in long-range forecasting.

Some believe the almanac uses a form of psychology that is similar to a horoscope. Get close enough on some points, and people will be inclined to believe the rest.

Mansfield doesn’t quite agree.

“It’s a vague forecast, but there is a climatological formula to it,” he said.

Weather experts say weather in other parts of the country is easier to predict than New England’s. For instance, the National Weather Service went out on a limb this year to predict hotter than normal temperatures in the Southwest desert region, around Phoenix.

In New England – and in the northern part in particular – erratic weather patterns have been known to foil even the most seasoned of forecasters.

“Just putting out a forecast for a couple of days can be a real adventure,” Mansfield said.

Regardless, it’s now summer and most people will adapt to any type of weather that comes along. Monday was nearly flawless. The next few days are shaping up to be about the same. Sunny, hot weather is expected to give way to more sunshine and cooler temperatures.

If you prefer to live on a day-by-day basis, this is the time to rejoice.

“I can tell you, the rest of this week looks nice,” Mansfield said. “We’re looking at some very pleasant weather.”