Summer Arrives Early As These Cities Could Break Heat Records This Week

https://climate-crisis-247-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/07224315/max-temps-map-for-4.21-150x150.png

So far this year, spring has been unseasonably cool. A southerly displacement of the polar vortex and a rare, late-season northerly tilt of the polar jet stream brought late season snow to parts of the mid-Atlantic, and frequent blasts of cool, Arctic air to latitudes as low as Florida.

Rain check? After FEMA Cuts, These Places Could Be Flooded for Weeks
Tesla takedown? A Timeline of Tesla Vandalism in the United States

This past weekend, however, large swaths of the country experienced average temperatures above 70°F for the first time this year. Now temperatures are heating up, with abnormal highs forecast for millions of Americans. Dozens of major cities are projected to experience record highs, and will likely continue to set records at an accelerated pace throughout the year. A closer look at the data reveals the cities that could see record highs this week.

To determine the cities that could break heat records this week, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed 72-hour temperature forecasts and historical station-level daily temperature readings from the NOAA. Cities were ranked based on the difference between the forecast maximum temperature for April 21 to 23, 2025 and the historical observed record high temperature for those days. Gridded forecast data are from the National Digital Forecast Database, while historical temperatures are from the Global Historical Climatology Network daily program of the National Centers for Environmental Information. Weather stations were matched to places using nearest neighbor analysis and were limited to cities within 20 miles of the city centroid. Only cities with at least 25,000 residents were considered.

25. Athens, AL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 85.0°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 78.1°F (vs. 82.9°F record from 2022)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 75.1°F (vs. 84.0°F record from 1999)
• Total population: 26,179

 

24. Alpharetta, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.4°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.3°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 79.6°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 65,884

 

23. Tampa, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 88.1°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 88.2°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 88.4°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 388,768

 

22. Roswell, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.7°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.3°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 79.7°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 92,770

 

21. Johns Creek, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.6°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.4°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 80.4°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 82,230

 

20. Tucker, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.9°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.5°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 81.2°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 36,994

 

19. Chamblee, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.7°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.6°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 80.4°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 29,980

 

18. Dunwoody, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 85.0°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.6°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 80.7°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 51,458

 

17. Lake Magdalene, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.7°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 1944)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 90.9°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1970)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 90.9°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1964)
• Total population: 31,546

 

16. Lakeside, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 86.8°F (vs. 93.0°F record from 1915)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 89.6°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 89.8°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 30,973

 

15. Sandy Springs, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 85.0°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 85.7°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 81.0°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 107,221

 

14. The Villages, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.0°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.0°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 91.9°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1999)
• Total population: 79,108

 

13. Peachtree Corners, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 85.0°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 86.1°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 81.0°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 42,147

 

12. Brookhaven, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 85.0°F (vs. 89.1°F record from 1964)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 86.1°F (vs. 84.9°F record from 1963)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 81.2°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 1987)
• Total population: 56,848

 

11. Lakeland, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.0°F (vs. 91.9°F record from 2006)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.7°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 2011)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 92.1°F (vs. 93.9°F record from 2015)
• Total population: 114,404

 

10. Riverview, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 91.3°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1982)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.8°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 1982)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 92.0°F (vs. 91.9°F record from 2020)
• Total population: 102,467

 

9. Sun City Center, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 92.1°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1982)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.8°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 1982)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 91.8°F (vs. 91.9°F record from 2020)
• Total population: 29,290

 

8. Lakewood Ranch, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 92.5°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 2006)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.8°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 1968)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 91.5°F (vs. 90.0°F record from 1982)
• Total population: 34,346

 

7. Gainesville, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 82.7°F (vs. 86.0°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 83.9°F (vs. 82.0°F record from 1999)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 78.6°F (vs. 82.9°F record from 1999)
• Total population: 42,780

 

6. Peachtree City, GA

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 84.8°F (vs. 87.1°F record from 2002)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 84.9°F (vs. 82.9°F record from 2017)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 82.4°F (vs. 84.0°F record from 1999)
• Total population: 38,414

 

5. Palm River-Clair Mel, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.8°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.2°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 91.6°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 25,729

 

4. East Lake-Orient Park, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.8°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.7°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 91.7°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 29,243

 

3. Temple Terrace, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.9°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 92.0°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 92.0°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 26,818

 

2. University, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 90.9°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 91.7°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 92.0°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 49,148

 

1. Brandon, FL

• Forecast maximum, April 21: 91.0°F (vs. 91.0°F record from 1925)
• Forecast maximum, April 22: 92.0°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1898)
• Forecast maximum, April 23: 92.3°F (vs. 88.0°F record from 1923)
• Total population: 114,923

 

Sponsor

Find a Vetted Financial Advisor

1. Finding a fiduciary financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area in 5 minutes.
2. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Get on the path toward achieving your financial goals!

More from ClimateCrisis 247

• Which Cities Will Become Deserts in Next 50 Years?
• Most Likely Locations for New Data Centers in the Next 10 Years
• The Carbon Footprint Of Halloween Chocolate Is Huge; These 25 Foods Have Highest Climate Impact
• People Are Starting to Leave These Climate-Battered Islands