Some parts of the United States received snow last weekend, while others were experiencing sweltering 90-degree heat. Despite the spring season just beginning, several cities across the South are already feeling like summer. With above-average temperatures over the weekend, some areas in the South reached well into the 90s and even hit 100 degrees. Oklahoma City saw a high of 90 degrees on Sunday, while Dallas tied a record at 93 degrees. The town of Vernon in North Texas even reached 100 degrees, making it feel more like summer than spring. Cities as far north as Goodland, Kansas, and Pueblo, Colorado have also experienced their first 90-degree day. In the East, cities like Norfolk and Raleigh have topped 90 degrees as well. Phoenix has been breaking temperature records lately, running 15-20 degrees above normal and reaching triple digits. Houston, Austin, and Shreveport hit 90 degrees back in March and have since seen many summer-like days. Del Rio, Texas had its first 90-degree day as early as February 8.
In the Northeast, cities like Boston and Philadelphia typically see their first 90-degree day in late May or early June, although some areas could see it earlier. Washington, D.C. had its earliest 90-degree day on March 22, 1907.
In the Midwest, cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit usually hit 90 degrees in early to mid-June, with St. Louis and Minneapolis seeing it as early as May. Some cities in the Midwest have recorded 90-degree temperatures as early as April.
The South experiences 90-degree temperatures as early as January in some areas, with Dallas experiencing its earliest 90-degree day on Jan. 31, 1911. The average date for 90-degree temperatures varies from early April in Miami to early June in Atlanta.
In the West, the first 90-degree temperatures typically occur from late March to mid-April in areas of the Southwest and Southern California. Denver and Salt Lake City usually don’t see 90-degree temperatures until early June.
In May, the earliest occurrence of temperatures in the 90s for the year was recorded in Seattle, Cheyenne, and Albuquerque. Not all cities in the West experience temperatures reaching 90 degrees every year, such as San Francisco, which saw a high of only 83 in 2018. Jennifer Gray, a weather and climate writer for weather.com, has been reporting on major weather and climate events worldwide for the past twenty years.
