Here's When You Can Expect Your First 80- and 90-Degree Temperatures

As spring progresses and summer approaches, the odds of seeing 80- and 90-degree temperatures are on the increase.

Climatologist Dr. Brian Brettschneider of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and the Western Regional Climate Center sifted through the data and created the maps shown below, which provide a visual guide to indicate the dates 80 and 90 degrees are achieved for the first time in an average year.

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Average First 80-Degree Day

The first 80-degree temperature of the year, on average, is reached in January in parts of south Texas, including San Antonio; the deserts of far southwestern Arizona and far southeastern California, including Yuma, Arizona; portions of Southern California's Interstate 5 corridor, including Los Angeles and San Diego and in much of the Florida Peninsula, including Orlando, Tampa and Miami.

Areas from south Georgia and along the Gulf Coast into Texas typically report 80 degrees for the first time in February. This includes New Orleans, Houston and Dallas. A swath of the Desert Southwest, including Phoenix, and coastal Southern California will also first hit 80 degrees in February, on average.

Much of the Southeast expects to reach 80 degrees for the first time in March, including Atlanta, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. This is also the case for parts of the lower Mississippi Valley and southern Plains, including Little Rock, Arkansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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The mid-Atlantic region, including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C., typically sees the first 80-degree day in the first 15 days of April. Southern portions of the Ohio Valley into the mid-Mississippi Valley and southern Plains also have their first 80-degree day, on average, during the first half of April. This includes Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska.

April 16-30 is when parts of the Northeast into the northern half of the Ohio Valley reach 80 degrees, on average, for the first time. This is also when parts of the upper Great Lakes, lower portions of the upper Midwest and eastern slopes of the Rockies typically reach their first 80-degree temperature, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Denver.

A swath of New England into upstate New York and northeast Pennsylvania sees the first 80-degree day in the first half of May, on average, as well as much of the upper Midwest and northern Plains. This includes Buffalo, New York, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Fargo, North Dakota.

Much of Maine will likely not see its first 80-degree day until the latter half of May, along with parts of the Pacific Northwest and mountain West. This includes Caribou, Maine, Seattle and Spokane, Washington.

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The highest elevations of the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Cascades and Olympics typically don't reach 80 degrees until June, if at all.

Average First 90-Degree Day

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The first 90-degree day of the year typically occurs in February near the Mexican border in far southern Texas, including McAllen and Rio Grande City. Other parts of south Texas just north of this area report the first 90-degree temperatures, on average, in March, along with a small area in interior South Florida and portions of the Desert Southwest, including Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona.

Early to mid-April is when much of South Florida and central and west Texas see their first 90-degree day in a typical year. This includes Miami, San Antonio, Texas, and Austin, Texas.

The rest of the Florida Peninsula into southeast Georgia, as well as portions of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, southern Kansas, southeast New Mexico and far west Texas, can expect to reach 90 degrees for the first time during the second half of April. This includes Jacksonville and Orlando in Florida, along with El Paso and Amarillo in Texas.

May 1-16 is when a swath from the coastal Southeast to the Gulf Coast can expect the first 90-degree day, including Raleigh, North Carolina, and Mobile, Alabama. Parts of the southern Plains and a swath of California also typically first reach 90 degrees at that time, including Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas.

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Much of the mid-Atlantic to the interior Southeast typically reaches 90 degrees for the first time in the latter half of May, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. This is also the case for portions of the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley and the central Plains, including New Orleans, St. Louis and Kansas City.

June is when the Northeast sees its first 90-degree temperatures of the year, including Boston, Pittsburgh, and Albany, New York. The upper Midwest and Great Lakes also see 90 degrees for the first time in June, including Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee.

The West and Northwest also see the first 90-degree day, on average, in June, including San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington. However, Seattle doesn't average its first 90-degree day until early July.

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The highest elevations of the mountain West typically won't reach 90 degrees until July, if at all. This is also the case for portions of northern Maine and the upper Midwest near the Canadian border.

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