EVENING AT THE EARLIEST. DIANE , RIGHT, STEPHANIE RAMOS. DIANE , RIGHT, STEPHANIE RAMOS. >> THANK YOU . >> THANK YOU . AND ABC NEWS CHIEF AND ABC NEWS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST, HEAD OF METEOROLOGIST, HEAD OF ABC'S CLIMATE UNIT GINGER ZEE ABC'S CLIMATE UNIT GINGER ZEE IS JOINING ME NOW FOR MORE ON IS JOINING ME NOW FOR MORE ON THIS GINGER ZEE. THIS GINGER ZEE. HOW ARE THESE FIRES IMPACTING HOW ARE THESE FIRES IMPACTING THE U.S. AND HOW THE FORECAST THE U.S. AND HOW THE FORECAST IMPACTING THE FIRES? IMPACTING THE FIRES? RIGHT. RIGHT. SO LET'S START WITH THE US . SO LET'S START WITH THE US . I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THAT HAZE AND THE SMOKY SEEN THAT HAZE AND THE SMOKY SKIES ALL THE WAY FROM SKIES ALL THE WAY FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. WASHINGTON, D.C. TO PHILADELPHIA. TO PHILADELPHIA. WE'VE HAD THEM HERE IN WE'VE HAD THEM HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, ALL THROUGH NEW YORK CITY, ALL THROUGH NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA. NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA. WE'VE HAD A VERY DRY WE'VE HAD A VERY DRY AND STAGNANT PATTERN THAT SET AND STAGNANT PATTERN THAT SET UP AND SO LOOK AT THAT IMAGE. UP AND SO LOOK AT THAT IMAGE. THAT'S PHILADELPHIA AND THAT THAT'S PHILADELPHIA AND THAT LOW SMOKE IS FROM THE FIRES IN LOW SMOKE IS FROM THE FIRES IN CANADA. CANADA. SO IT CAN TRAVEL REALLY FAR , SO IT CAN TRAVEL REALLY FAR , ESPECIALLY IN THEIR LARGE. ESPECIALLY IN THEIR LARGE. AND YOU CAN SEE THE BURNING AND YOU CAN SEE THE BURNING THERE FROM THE AERIALS, THERE FROM THE AERIALS, THE FORECAST FOR THE FIRES THE FORECAST FOR THE FIRES THERE IN A LOW END DROUGHT IN THERE IN A LOW END DROUGHT IN NOVA SCOTIA. NOVA SCOTIA. CONCEDE SEE THAT WE BROUGHT CONCEDE SEE THAT WE BROUGHT THAT UP AND PUT THE FIRES WHERE THAT UP AND PUT THE FIRES WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED. THEY ARE LOCATED. SO YOU DON'T GET TO MODERATE SO YOU DON'T GET TO MODERATE DROUGHT UNTIL YOU GO DROUGHT UNTIL YOU GO A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH. A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH. GO WEST, THOUGH, AND WHAT'S GO WEST, THOUGH, AND WHAT'S REALLY REMARKABLE ABOUT REALLY REMARKABLE ABOUT CANADA'S FIRE SEASON ALREADY CANADA'S FIRE SEASON ALREADY IS HOW MUCH THEY'VE BURNED THIS IS HOW MUCH THEY'VE BURNED THIS EARLY. EARLY. THEY'RE AT THIRTEEN HUNDRED THEY'RE AT THIRTEEN HUNDRED PERCENT OF NORMAL. PERCENT OF NORMAL. THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER. THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER. FIVE PLUS MILLION ACRES ALREADY FIVE PLUS MILLION ACRES ALREADY BURNED FROM ALBERTA TO NOVA BURNED FROM ALBERTA TO NOVA SCOTIA. SCOTIA. AND TODAY'S THE START OF AND TODAY'S THE START OF THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON. THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON. SO WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING FOR SO WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING FOR ON THAT FRONT? ON THAT FRONT? SO FASCINATINGLY, JUNE 1ST HERE SO FASCINATINGLY, JUNE 1ST HERE WE ARE OFFICIALLY THE FIRST DAY WE ARE OFFICIALLY THE FIRST DAY AND WE'VE GOT SOMETHING WE'RE AND WE'VE GOT SOMETHING WE'RE WATCHING. WATCHING. COULD BECOME ARLENE. COULD BECOME ARLENE. IT'S GOT A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF IT'S GOT A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT. DEVELOPMENT. IT'S GOT TO FIGHT THROUGH A LOT IT'S GOT TO FIGHT THROUGH A LOT TO TO GET A NAME. TO TO GET A NAME. BUT IT KIND HEADS SOUTH THROUGH BUT IT KIND HEADS SOUTH THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE WEEKEND. AND NO MATTER IF IT GETS A NAME AND NO MATTER IF IT GETS A NAME OR NOT, I CAN PROMISE YOU YOU OR NOT, I CAN PROMISE YOU YOU GET HEAVY SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY GET HEAVY SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY MIAMI. MIAMI. THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN SO THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN SO SUPER SOAKED THERE, FORT SUPER SOAKED THERE, FORT LAUDERDALE, TOO. LAUDERDALE, TOO. BUT UP TO TAMPA WHERE THEY ARE, BUT UP TO TAMPA WHERE THEY ARE, WELL, BELOW AVERAGE. WELL, BELOW AVERAGE. SO THEY NEED THAT RAIN IS JUST SO THEY NEED THAT RAIN IS JUST GOING TO COME KIND OF QUICKLY. GOING TO COME KIND OF QUICKLY. SO LET'S SAY SAY IT GETS SO LET'S SAY SAY IT GETS ARLENE, WE DO LOOK FOR NAMED ARLENE, WE DO LOOK FOR NAMED STORMS IN THIS FORECAST TO BE STORMS IN THIS FORECAST TO BE 12 TO 17 HURRICANES. 12 TO 17 HURRICANES. WE'RE EXPECTING AN AVERAGE OF WE'RE EXPECTING AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN . SEVEN . THIS IS AN AVERAGE YEAR. THIS IS AN AVERAGE YEAR. AND METEOROLOGIST MAX COLOMBO AND METEOROLOGIST MAX COLOMBO AND SAM WINNECKE AND I WERE AND SAM WINNECKE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THAT WORD TALKING ABOUT WHAT THAT WORD MEANS, NORMAL, AVERAGE. MEANS, NORMAL, AVERAGE. THIS IS IT MEANS HURRICANES. THIS IS IT MEANS HURRICANES. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO LET THE GUARD DOWN BECAUSE YOU'VE THE GUARD DOWN BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD SEASONS THAT ARE SLOW OR HAD SEASONS THAT ARE SLOW OR BELOW AVERAGE. BELOW AVERAGE. AND THAT WOULD BE LIKE AN AND THAT WOULD BE LIKE AN ANDREW SEASON. ANDREW SEASON. SO ALL YOU NEED IS THE SO ALL YOU NEED IS THE ONE LANDFALLING FALLING ONE LANDFALLING FALLING HURRICANE. HURRICANE. >> AND WITH THE WARMING WATERS >> AND WITH THE WARMING WATERS AND WITH EL NINO HOLDING OFF AND WITH EL NINO HOLDING OFF A LITTLE , WE MAY SEE A LOT OF A LITTLE , WE MAY SEE A LOT OF ACTIVITY AT THE BEGINNING. ACTIVITY AT THE BEGINNING. AND WALK US THROUGH THAT AND WALK US THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT. A LITTLE BIT. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT EL NINO FIRST OF ALL, WHAT EL NINO IS FOR MAYBE PEOPLE WHO DON'T IS FOR MAYBE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW AND HOW THAT IMPACTS ALL KNOW AND HOW THAT IMPACTS ALL OF THIS, THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE OF THIS, THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE EL NINO AND LA NINA ARE KIND OF EL NINO AND LA NINA ARE KIND OF OBSCURE THINGS THAT YOU HEAR OBSCURE THINGS THAT YOU HEAR ABOUT. ABOUT. BUT THEN YOU'RE LIKE EVERY YEAR BUT THEN YOU'RE LIKE EVERY YEAR YOU HAVE TO REMIND US , WHAT YOU HAVE TO REMIND US , WHAT IS THAT AGAIN? IS THAT AGAIN? EL NINO MEANS THAT EL NINO MEANS THAT THE TEMPERATURES OF THE PACIFIC THE TEMPERATURES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN ARE WARMER THAN AVERAGE. OCEAN ARE WARMER THAN AVERAGE. THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY THERE. THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY THERE. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL GET THERE IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL GET THERE BY LATE SUMMER. BY LATE SUMMER. OR EARLY FALL, DEFINITELY OR EARLY FALL, DEFINITELY BY WINTER. BY WINTER. WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR HURRICANE SEASON IS SOMETIMES HURRICANE SEASON IS SOMETIMES AND THIS IS NOT EVERY SINGLE AND THIS IS NOT EVERY SINGLE SEASON WE'VE HAD AN EL NINO, SEASON WE'VE HAD AN EL NINO, BUT SOMETIMES IT CAN DEVELOP BUT SOMETIMES IT CAN DEVELOP QUITE A BIT OF WIND SHEAR. QUITE A BIT OF WIND SHEAR. WIND SHEAR KILLS HURRICANES. WIND SHEAR KILLS HURRICANES. THAT WOULD BE OUTSTANDING IF WE THAT WOULD BE OUTSTANDING IF WE COULD START THAT A LITTLE BIT COULD START THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN WINTER. EARLIER THAN WINTER. AND GET IT IN SO IT CAN HELP AND GET IT IN SO IT CAN HELP KIND OF SUBDUE. KIND OF SUBDUE. BUT AGAIN, WE'VE HAD SEASONS BUT AGAIN, WE'VE HAD SEASONS WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN EL NINO WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN EL NINO AND THERE HAVE BEEN HORRENDOUS AND THERE HAVE BEEN HORRENDOUS HURRICANES AS WELL. HURRICANES AS WELL. SO I DON'T WANT TO PUT THAT OUT SO I DON'T WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR TO JUST GIVE