Here's When The First 90-Degree Highs Of The Year Typically Happen

H​igh temperatures climbing into the 90s are fairly common in the summer for much of the United States, but when that typically occurs can vary depending on where you live.

M​any locations in the Lower 48 are still waiting for the thermometer to hit 90 degrees, even though there have been a few rounds of above-average temperatures in April and May.

B​elow, we take a look at when each region usually experiences 90-degree heat and where the first 90s have already been reached this year.

N​ortheast

T​he larger cities in the Northeast from Boston to Philadelphia typically experience highs of at least 90 degrees beginning in late May or early June.

H​owever, the first 90-degree day can occur much earlier. Washington, D.C., experienced its earliest 90-degree temperature on March 22, 1907.

N​ot all areas reach 90 every year. This includes Buffalo, New York, which did not observe a high of at least 90 as recently as 2014.

A blast of heat in April this year allowed New York City to reach 90 degrees on April 13, and 91 on April 14. Most locations in the Northeast have not recorded their first 90s of the year yet, as of May 25.

M​idwest

E​arly to mid-June is when areas from Chicago to Indianapolis to Detroit often experience their first 90-degree temperature. However, areas farther west, such as St. Louis and Minneapolis, typically first observe a high in the 90s in May.

T​he earliest 90-degree temperature on record for many cities in the Midwest is in April, although temperatures have climbed to 90 as early as March 21, 1907, in St. Louis and Kansas City.

F​argo, North Dakota, has already experienced temperatures in the 90s this year, but waited until June 19 last year. Meanwhile, Omaha, Nebraska, has yet to hit 90 in 2023, but last year, the first 90-degree temperature occurred on April 12.

S​outh

T​emperatures soar into the 90s earlier in the year across the southern tier – even as early as January. The earliest 90-degree high in Dallas was recorded on Jan. 31, 1911.

T​he average date when temperatures top 90 varies from early April in Miami to early June in Atlanta.

T​here have been years when the first high in the 90s wasn't observed until late June or July, including New Orleans in 1983, when the first 90-degree temperature was recorded on June 30.

M​uch of the South has already experienced temperatures in the 90s this year. Oklahoma City is one exception, with its hottest temperature so far being 89 degrees, but last year, the first 90-degree high was on April 20. Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, also are still waiting to hit 90 degrees.

W​est

T​he first 90-degree temperature typically occurs from late March into mid-April in areas of the Southwest and Southern California, where temperatures in the 90s have been recorded as early as January and February. L​ocations farther north, as well as in the higher elevations, wait much longer for temperatures to rise into the 90s. This includes Denver and Salt Lake City, which usually don't experience highs in the 90s until early June.

M​id- to late April is when the earliest highs in the 90s for the year have been recorded in Denver and Reno, Nevada. May is when the earliest first 90s of the year happened in Seattle; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

T​emperatures do not reach 90 every year in some cities in the West. San Francisco is one example, where the highest temperature only reached 83 in 2018.

An early heat wave t​his year allowed temperatures in Portland, Oregon, to climb to 91 degrees on May 12. Farther south, Phoenix soared to 100 on April 30. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has not reached the 90s yet and experienced their hottest temperature of the year, 89 degrees, in April. The warmest high so far in May has been 77 degrees there.

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